HARRISON, N.J. — Wiki Carmona netted two goals against his former club as Prince Owusu converted a penalty kick, leading CF Montreal to a decisive 3-0 win over Red Bull New York on Sunday.
First-year coach Michael Bradley’s Red Bulls were aiming to start the season with three consecutive wins for the first time in the franchise’s history, but instead, the former U.S. captain experienced his first defeat as manager.
Montreal (1-2-0) took an early lead in the 8th minute, with Owusu scoring from the penalty spot after Iván Jaime was fouled by Red Bulls defender Justin Che.
Carmona extended the lead to 2-0 in the 44th minute with an unassisted goal from a free kick, sending Montreal into halftime with a comfortable advantage.
The scoring was capped in the 68th minute when Carmona stole the ball and added another unassisted goal. During his time with the Red Bulls, Carmona scored six goals in 102 games but did not find the net in 21 starts last season.
Goalkeeper Thomas Gillier recorded five saves for Montreal, securing his first clean sheet in just his 11th career start, after allowing eight goals in the previous two matches.
For the Red Bulls (2-1-0), Ethan Horton made one save in his third MLS start, having recently achieved his first clean sheet with a 1-0 victory against the New England Revolution.
New York fielded a trio of teenagers—Julian Hall (17), Adri Mehmeti (16), and Matthew Dos Santos (17)—for the third consecutive match.
This victory marked Marco Donadel’s first win as interim head coach of Montreal. He took over last season when the team finished 13th and failed to qualify for the playoffs.
Last season, New York dominated Montreal, outscoring them 3-0 in two encounters.