There's no good way to see a club-record unbeaten run end, but FC Cincinnati probably saw its streak in the most painful fashion possible against CF Montreal.
FC Cincinnati, playing shorthanded at CF Montreal, scored four goals in a match for the first time since joining MLS, and led by scorelines of 2-0 and 4-2 during the contest. However, Montreal stormed back in the second half to win, 5-4, at Stade Saputo on Saturday night.
CF Montreal's Ahmed Hamdi scored in the 74th minute to tie the match at four and again in the 87th minute to seal the victory for the hosts.
The loss ended FCC's four-match unbeaten run and saw the club fall to 3-6-3 in 2021.
Montreal's (6-3-4) unbeaten run moved to six games on a night that saw the club return to playing in its home market after playing in the United States the entire 2021 season.
The Enquirer will update this report.
*** ***
*** ***
For in-match updates and analysis of the FC Cincinnati versus CF Montreal match, refresh this page throughout the match. For further updates, follow Cincinnati.com FC Cincinnati beat reporter Pat Brennan on Twitter (@PBrennanENQ).
In-match updates:
FINAL: CF Montreal 5, FC Cincinnati 4.
• 87th minute – GOAL, CF Montreal (5-4): Ahmed Hamdi.
• 74th minute – GOAL, CF Montreal (4-4): Ahmed Hamdi pulled Montreal level back from its second two-goal deficit of the night.
• 72nd minute – GOAL, CF Montreal (4-3): Mason Toye scored from the penalty spot for his second goal of the night after being hauled down by Cincinnati goalkeeper Kenneth Vermeer.
• 46th minute – GOAL, FC Cincinnati (4-2): Brenner Souza da Silva restored FC Cincinnati's two-goal lead with his second of the night and third of 2021 less than a minute after the first half started.
• 42nd minute – GOAL, FC Cincinnati (3-2): Gustavo Vallecilla second goal of the season (both have come against Montreal) restored a lead for Cincinnati. The play was checked by the match officials but never went to a video review. Vallecilla hit a volley from close range and appeared to be in an offside position, but he was played in onside after an Alvaro Barreal free-kick deflected off a Montreal player.
• 34th minute – GOAL, CF Montreal (2-2): Joaquin Torres' first career MLS goal pulled Montreal back to level terms after they trailed 2-0 just 15 minutes into the game.
• 21st minute – GOAL, CF Montreal (1-2): Mason Toye got on the end of a centering feed and snuck in between FC Cincinnati's center backs to finish cleanly, halving the club's deficit.
• 14th minute – GOAL, FC Cincinnati (0-2): Brenner Souza da Silva is back in the goals as he took the ball off Montreal goalkeeper James Pantemis as the hosts failed at playing the ball out of the back. The goal was Brenner's second of 2021 and first since the April 17 season-opener at Nashville SC.
• 6th minute – GOAL, FC Cincinnati (0-1): Haris Medunjanin scored early and from the top of the penalty area for FC Cincinnati to put his side in front. The goal was Medunjanin's first of 2021 and second with FCC.
Pre-match updates:
• FC Cincinnati starting XI (bench): Kenneth Vermeer (GK), Joseph-Claude Gyau, Gustavo Vallecilla, Nick Hagglund, Tom Pettersson, Edgar Castillo, Haris Medunjanin, Yuya Kubo, Alvaro Barreal, Luciano Acosta, Brenner Souza da Silva (Isaac Atanga, Avionne Flanagan, Franko Kovacevic, Ben Mines, Arquimides Ordonez, Tom Pattersson, Beckham Sunderland Przemysław Tytoń).
• FC Cincinnati made two changes to its starting lineup, subtracting midfielder Isaac Atanga and center back Geoff Cameron. In taking Atanga out, FCC added a third center back in the defensive line. That defensive line was also altered as Nick Hagglund and Tom Pettersson will play next to Gustavo Vallecilla, with Cameron not dressed for the match.
Asked about Cameron's availability, a source indicated that FC Cincinnati expected this game against Montreal to be played in Fort Lauderdale, just as the May 22 match was when Montreal was the host team to FC Cincinnati. With the league decision to play the game in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, not all FC Cincinnati players were able to reach compliance with Canadian border restrictions.
