Prince Owusu Scores and Sets Up Three as CF Montréal Rout Red Bulls 4-1

Six days before kickoff, CF Montréal fired its head coach in the middle of a four-game losing streak. On Saturday afternoon at Stade Saputo, it had Prince Owusu, and that turned out to be more than enough.

Owusu scored a penalty and set up three goals as CF Montréal thumped the New York Red Bulls 4-1, completing a season sweep and snapping that four-game losing streak in the club's first match under interim coach Philippe Eullaffroy, who took over after Marco Donadel was fired on April 12, according to the AP. Montréal managed only 31.8 percent of the ball and still looked like the team in charge from the fifth minute on. Sometimes a new voice in the locker room is worth more than any tactics board.

Five Minutes to Liftoff

The Red Bulls barely had time to settle. In the fifth minute, Owusu won the ball high up the field and slipped it to Victor Loturi, who drove a right-footed shot from the middle of the box into the bottom right corner. Per the AP, Loturi scored twice as a rookie last season. He needed all of five minutes to get on the board in this one.

New York had the ball for long spells, which was sort of the problem. They passed and passed, swung in crosses, earned corners and generated almost nothing that bothered Thomas Gillier. Cade Cowell had two first-half attempts blocked, and Dylan Nealis headed a set piece wide in the 20th minute.

Then Nealis had a moment he will want back. In the 37th minute, he was penalized for a handball in the box, and Owusu stepped up two minutes later to roll a left-footed penalty into the bottom left corner. 2-0 at the break, and the visitors' head coach, Michael Bradley, was not hiding from it.

"Let them grow into the game. Let them step up on us," Bradley said of his team's start, per the Red Bulls. He added: "Physically, we had nothing tonight in terms of energy, in terms of intensity."

The Turning Point: A Halftime Triple Switch Meets a Counterattack

Bradley went big at the interval, sending on Rafael Mosquera, Mohammed Sofo and Juan Mina for Cowell, Jorge Ruvalcaba and Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty. As he put it afterward, "we felt like it was an afternoon that we needed to make some changes, to get fresh legs and energy and to really see if we could change the game."

The plan lasted about three minutes. In the 48th, Montréal broke quickly, Owusu found Matty Longstaff, and the midfielder smashed a right-footed finish into the high center of the net for a 3-0 lead. Per the AP, Longstaff's other two goals came in 49 appearances with Toronto, so this was a rare treat.

Longstaff then got the full Saturday experience. In the 53rd minute, a pass from Julian Hall caromed off him and into his own net, giving New York a lifeline and giving Longstaff the rare distinction of scoring for both teams inside five minutes. Football is a cruel and very funny sport.

The Red Bulls pushed after that. Sofo headed over from close range in the 56th, Emil Forsberg had a shot blocked in the 57th, and Mosquera forced Gillier into his only save of the day in the 63rd. That was the closest New York came to a second goal.

Owusu Puts a Bow on It

Montréal's bench delivered the final blow. Kwadwo Opoku, who replaced rookie Noah Streit in the 58th minute, finished from very close range into the bottom right corner in the 77th, with Owusu credited by ESPN for his third assist. The AP said it was Opoku's first goal of the campaign.

Daniel Ríos came on for Owusu in the 84th minute and forced two saves from Ethan Horvath late, but the damage was done long before then.

Star Watch

Owusu's line reads like a cheat code: one goal, three assists, two shots and a hand in every Montréal goal. According to the AP, he now has five goals and three assists this season after setting career highs of 13 goals and five assists last year, his first with the club. He also scored from the spot in Montréal's 3-0 win at New York on March 8, so the Red Bulls are probably sick of seeing him.

Loturi scored with his only shot, and Longstaff converted one of his two attempts before collecting a yellow card in the 89th minute. At the back, Montréal made 25 clearances and 13 interceptions, and Gillier only had to make one save.

For New York, there was one milestone worth noting amid the gloom. The Red Bulls said Nealis made his 100th MLS appearance for the club, becoming the 13th defender in club history to reach that mark. Not the afternoon he would have scripted for it.

Stats That Matter

• Possession: Red Bulls 68.2 percent, Montréal 31.8 percent.
• Shots on target: Montréal 6 of 9, Red Bulls 1 of 8.
• Passing: Red Bulls completed 528 of 611 passes; Montréal completed 221 of 289.
• Interceptions: Montréal 13, Red Bulls 6.
• Offsides: Montréal was flagged seven times and still scored four.

What It Means

Montréal improves to 2-0-6 with 6 points, and both wins have come against New York, by a combined 7-1. The AP called it a milestone victory, with Montréal now 100-66-37 all time at Stade Saputo. Next up is a home date with New York City FC on Saturday.

The Red Bulls slip to 3-2-3 with 11 points after a second lopsided loss to Montréal this season. Bradley saw some promise in the attack, noting "we had moments and advantages that were promising," but said his side lacked the final part of its moves. New York hosts D.C. United on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Closing Take

Montréal spent a week living through the soccer version of a reality show reunion episode: firings, uncertainty, a new face in charge. Then Owusu walked onto the field and made the whole thing feel simple. New coaches love to talk about clean slates. The easiest way to write on one is to give the ball to the guy who keeps scoring.

Stats from ESPN's match data and the AP recap via ESPN. Postgame quotes as reported by the New York Red Bulls (newyorkredbulls.com).