11 goals and counting - Prince Owusu stars at struggling CF Montréal

With his 11th goal for CF Montréal last weekend against New England Revolution (3-1), Prince Owusu has now become the second-best German goalscorer in Major League Soccer. His 20 goals rank the 28-year-old striker ahead of teammate Fabian Herbers and Sporting Kansas midfielder Erik Thommy (both 19). At the very top remains Hany Mukhtar with an incredible 77 goals. But in another statistic, Owusu is already one of the top players.

The striker’s goal ratio of 47.8% is the highest among all players in MLS this season. No other player has scored a higher percentage of his club’s goals this season. In other words, the 1.9m tall forward has become a life insurance for the Québec-based club. Without Owusu, Montréal, who struggle at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, would have scored just 12 goals. “I always knew about my qualities, and it was always my goal to stand out,” Owusu said in a conversation with Transfermarkt. “That makes it even nicer that I have a run now.”

Owusu moved to the MLS in the summer of 2023, where he initially joined Montréal’s rivals, Toronto FC, from Jahn Regensburg. He then needed a half season to truly arrive in MLS. After scoring 12 goals in 45 games, Owusu moved from Ontario to Québec, joining Montréal, where he has scored 14 goals in just 29 games, already more than he managed during his entire time in Toronto. “I needed a bit of time to adjust to the climate and the league in general,” Owusu said. “I also think that in Montréal, I have found a team that trusts me, whether it is the coaching staff or the entire club really. The boys in my team make me feel special. That’s the most important part.”

Since joining the MLS, Owusu has managed to increase his market value from €550,000 to €2m. He is also playing against more prominent players than he would have in Germany’s 2. Bundesliga. Facing the likes of Marco Reus, Luis Suárez, Sergio Busquets, Lionel Messi ,and perhaps soon  Thomas Müller is undoubtedly an upgrade from playing in a second division in Europe. In a curious moment, Messi even assisted Owusu in Montréal’s recent 1-4 defeat to Inter Miami by accident. Not that the German cared much.

“Even nicer would be an assist by Cristiano Ronaldo,” Owusu said. “He is the only player in the world that would get me really excited if that happened. Otherwise, every opponent is the same for me, even if those matches are great experiences for me. At the end of the day, those guys also just use water to boil their food. I always want to measure myself against the very best.”

Montréal striker Owusu: All of Canada is happy about Müller’s arrival

As first reported by Transfermarkt, Müller is now set to become the next big name in MLS—like Owusu, he is moving to Canada to join the Vancouver Whitecaps. “Without a doubt, Thomas Müller is a big name in Canada,” Owusu said. “The young players in our dressing room are chatting quite a bit about it. It is always something special when stars join MLS. It just highlights the level the league has reached. I think the entire country is happy about the arrival of a player of Müller’s status.”

Owusu’s performances have not gone unnoticed, and there have been some inquiries about his services from Europe, especially from Germany. “My agent, Cliff Asare, deals with those topics,” Owusu said. The German striker is still under contract until 2026 with a club option for one additional season. “I am focused on what happens here.” For now, Owusu wants to get out of a season that, although it has been one of his best personally, appears to be a disaster for Montréal. After 25 games, the Impact have just 18 points, and reaching the playoffs is almost impossible at this stage. On top of that, Montréal are also out of the Canadian Championship, at least there is still the Leagues Cup.

Owned by Montréal’s powerful Saputo family, who also have control of Serie A side Bologna, the MLS franchise has increasingly become a farm team for the Italian club. “The club is at the early stage of a new period,” Owusu said. “We have the youngest team in the league and, as a result, we are not that efficient. Many players are playing their first real professional season and are growing with the new responsibilities. But I am optimistic that the club will soon experience better times because the potential in the team is great. Success is a process.”