FC Cincinnati heads into international break with dramatic comeback over Montréal

Photo Credit: FARP Contributor

FC Cincinnati went into the international break with something it badly needed: a result that steadied the mood around the club.

On March 22 at TQL Stadium, Cincinnati erased three separate deficits and beat CF Montréal 4-3 in a match that swung from sloppy to tense to unforgettable. The win moved FCC to 2-3-0 in league play and gave the club a needed lift after a rough stretch that included multiple defeats and a heavy defensive leak. Attendance was listed as 25,513 in a sellout crowd.  

Montréal struck first in the sixth minute when Wikelman Carmona finished a chance created by Prince Owusu and Bode Hidalgo. Cincinnati answered in the 40th minute when Ender Echenique drove forward and scored to make it 1-1. But the visitors hit back just before halftime, with Owusu finding the net in the 45th minute to restore Montréal’s lead.  

FCC pulled level again early in the second half. Ayoub Jabbari scored in the 52nd minute after Echenique helped create the chance, giving Cincinnati another response and briefly shifting the energy in the stadium. That momentum changed in the 60th minute when Miles Robinson was sent off and Montréal converted the resulting penalty, with Owusu completing his brace and pushing the visitors ahead 3-2. Cincinnati was down a man and appeared headed toward another disappointing afternoon.  

Instead, the match turned again.

Tom Barlow, who had just entered the game, delivered the equalizer in the 80th minute for his first MLS goal with Cincinnati. Then, deep into stoppage time, Kévin Denkey pounced in front of goal and buried the winner in the 94th minute, giving FCC its fourth goal and sending the home crowd into celebration. ESPN’s match report noted that Barlow’s goal came only minutes after he entered, while Denkey’s finish sealed the comeback with Cincinnati still playing short-handed.  

The night also belonged in many ways to Echenique. He scored once, assisted once and helped inject energy into Cincinnati’s attack at a time when the club needed somebody to change the pace of the game. Afterward, Echenique said, “I never focus on individual stats,” making clear that the larger objective was helping the team collect points. He also said the group’s refusal to quit is what stood out most to him from the performance.  

Head coach Pat Noonan did not pretend the performance was clean. He said he was proud of the way his players fought through the circumstances, adding that the group showed “good character.” He also called it “a promising moment,” while noting there is still plenty for Cincinnati to fix. That message fit the match itself: the club gave up too much defensively, but it also showed enough resolve to keep the game from slipping away.  

Barlow said the victory carried weight because of what the team had just gone through. He called it “a big win for us” and said the locker room had focused on grinding through the match together. That mindset showed in the closing minutes, when Cincinnati stayed alive despite the red card and found the two goals it needed.  

The timing of the win matters. FC Cincinnati now heads into the FIFA international window with nine players set to represent their countries at the senior and youth levels. Instead of entering the break after another collapse, the club gets a chance to regroup while carrying a result that may help reset confidence. Cincinnati returns to MLS action on April 4 with a road match against the New York Red Bulls in Harrison, New Jersey.  

For one afternoon, at least, FC Cincinnati found what it had been missing: a way to finish.