Ghanaian forward Prince Owusu produced one of the performances of the Major League Soccer (MLS) season on Saturday, scoring a hat-trick and setting up the equaliser to rescue a stunning 4-4 draw for CF Montreal against DC United at Audi Field in Washington, putting himself firmly in the frame for Ghana’s World Cup squad.
Owusu finished off his first MLS hat-trick on a penalty kick four minutes into stoppage time, and teenager Hennadii Synchuk scored the equaliser two minutes later to complete the comeback. Montreal had trailed 4-2 heading into the dying moments before the dramatic turnaround.
Rookie Louis Munteanu scored his fifth goal with an unassisted header off a deflection in the ninth minute to put DC United in front, before Jared Stroud scored unassisted in the 28th minute to double the home side’s advantage.
Owusu gave Montreal a foothold heading into halftime, scoring in the first minute of stoppage time at the end of the first half. After the break, DC United extended their lead again when Tai Baribo converted a penalty in the 51st minute to make it 3-1.
Montreal pulled within 3-2 in the 61st minute on another goal by Owusu, with Wikelman Carmona providing the assist, before Lucas Bartlett scored his second goal of the campaign in the 87th minute to put DC United 4-2 ahead.
What looked like a comfortable home win then unravelled entirely in stoppage time. Owusu was fouled inside the box and stepped up to convert the penalty himself, making it 4-3, before setting up Synchuk, 19, for the equaliser that completed one of the more dramatic finishes to an MLS match this season.
Owusu remains one of the most lethal forwards in the league, recording his seventh, eighth and ninth goals of the season, while also ranking among the leading creators with six assists in the campaign.
The timing of the performance could hardly be better. Ghana’s new head coach Carlos Queiroz is in the process of assembling his World Cup squad, and a nine-goal, six-assist season from a forward of Owusu’s profile will be difficult to overlook. The MLS takes a break for the FIFA World Cup and will return to action on July 16.
