WASHINGTON (AP) — Prince Owusu finished off his first MLS hat trick on a penalty kick four minutes into stoppage time, and teenager Hennadii Synchuk scored the equalizer two minutes later to rally CF Montreal to a 4-4 draw with D.C. United on Saturday night.
Montreal trailed 4-2 heading into stoppage time before Owusu scored for the third time in the match and the ninth time this season. The PK was awarded after he was fouled by Keisuke Kurokawa
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CF Montreal forward Prince Owusu (9) kicks a penalty shot for a goal during the second half of an MLS soccer match against D.C. United, Saturday, May 23, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
CF Montreal midfielder Hennadii Synchuk celebrates his goal during the second half of an MLS soccer match against D.C. United, Saturday, May 23, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
D.C. United forward Tai Baribo (9) celebrates his goal next to defender Keisuke Kurokawa, right, during the second half of an MLS soccer match against CF Montreal, Saturday, May 23, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
D.C. United midfielder Jared Stroud celebrates after his goal during the first half of an MLS soccer match against CF Montreal, Saturday, May 23, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
CF Montreal defender Brayan Vera, left, kicks the ball past D.C. United forward Louis Munteanu (11) during the first half of an MLS soccer match, Saturday, May 23, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
D.C. United defender Matti Peltola, left, and CF Montreal midfielder Matty Longstaff, front right, battle for the ball during the first half of an MLS soccer match, Saturday, May 23, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Synchuk, 19, followed with his first goal this season and his second in 22 appearances after subbing into the match in the 67th minute
Rookie Louis Munteanu scored his fifth goal — unassisted on a header off a deflection in the 9th minute to put DC United in front and Jared Stroud scored for the first time this season — unassisted in the 28th minute for a two-goal lead.
Owusu found the net for the first time after a long run in the first minute of stoppage time to cut it to 2-1 at halftime.
Tai Baribo scored his seventh goal — on a PK in the 51st minute for a 3-1 lead. Brayan Vera's foul on Lucas Bartlett led to the kick.
Montreal pulled within 3-2 in the 61st minute on another goal by Owusu. Former Red Bulls midfielder Wiki Carmona assisted.
Bartlett scored his second goal of the campaign to give DC United a 4-2 lead in the 87th minute.
Thomas Gillier, 21, had six saves for Montreal (4-8-2) in his 21st career start.
Sean Johnson turned away four shots for DC United (4-5-6), which remains unbeaten in six straight matches..
Montreal improves to 1-6-1 on the road, while DC United is 2-3-2 at home.
Montreal has gone 3-2-2 since Philippe Eullaffroy took over as interim coach on April 12.
The all-time series is tied 10-10-12.
The league takes a break for the FIFA World Cup and will return to action on July 16.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/soccer
CF Montreal forward Prince Owusu (9) kicks a penalty shot for a goal during the second half of an MLS soccer match against D.C. United, Saturday, May 23, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
CF Montreal midfielder Hennadii Synchuk celebrates his goal during the second half of an MLS soccer match against D.C. United, Saturday, May 23, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
D.C. United forward Tai Baribo (9) celebrates his goal next to defender Keisuke Kurokawa, right, during the second half of an MLS soccer match against CF Montreal, Saturday, May 23, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
D.C. United midfielder Jared Stroud celebrates after his goal during the first half of an MLS soccer match against CF Montreal, Saturday, May 23, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
CF Montreal defender Brayan Vera, left, kicks the ball past D.C. United forward Louis Munteanu (11) during the first half of an MLS soccer match, Saturday, May 23, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
D.C. United defender Matti Peltola, left, and CF Montreal midfielder Matty Longstaff, front right, battle for the ball during the first half of an MLS soccer match, Saturday, May 23, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Authorities braced for the possibility that a damaged chemical tank in Southern California could leak or explode as an evacuation order continued into the Memorial Day weekend for 40,000 residents with no timeline on when they can return.
No injuries were reported after the pressurized tank overheated Thursday and began venting vapors at a company site in Garden Grove, according to the Orange County Fire Authority. Garden Grove is about 40 miles (60 kilometers) south of downtown Los Angeles. Several shelters remained open Saturday, including at three high schools.
But officials said the valves on the tank are broken or “gummed up,” so that prevented crews from removing the chemical or relieving the pressure on the tank, said Craig Covey, Orange County Fire Authority division chief.
Firefighters’ first hope is to find a way to cool off the chemical inside the tank so it won’t leak or explode. If that’s not possible, Purdue University engineering professor Andrew Whelton said it would be best if the tank sprang a leak so the chemical could be mostly contained. An explosion that could spread the chemical over a broad area and send shrapnel from the tank flying would be the worst-case scenario.
If the temperature inside the tank continues to increase, the pressure will continue to build as the methyl methacrylate converts from a liquid to a gas, because officials said the pressure relief valves on the tank were no longer working. Whelton said it’s unlikely that firefighters would consider creating a hole in the tank because of fears that could create a spark that might ignite the volatile and flammable gas.
In an early evening post on the social platform X, Covey said drones were monitoring temperatures at 10-minute intervals to watch for any spikes. Planning was underway to ensure that if there is a leak, it can quickly be prevented from spreading into waterways or the ocean, he said.
“Sitting back and allowing these tanks to fail is unacceptable,” Covey said, adding that there was no guarantee that tanks will not breach and leak. “Our goal is to protect your homes — no damage to them — and protect the environment.”
Efforts to cool the tank appeared to be working Friday, but Covey backtracked the following day, saying a reading conducted by drones actually showed the temperature on the outside of the tank, not the inside.
“Unfortunately I do have to report that the temperature was 90 degrees,” Covey said, up from 77 the previous morning.
Cooling the tank is important because the liquid chemical's flashpoint is 50 Fahrenheit (10 Celsius), according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
Initially people in Garden Grove were ordered to leave. Evacuation orders were then expanded to some parts of five other Orange County cities — Cypress, Stanton, Anaheim, Buena Park and Westminster. Some people with pets planned to sleep in their cars.
Marco Solano, 32, spent Friday night at his parents’ home, frustrated by the situation and monitoring the news to see if he could go home.
“I don’t think that they should have dangerous chemicals in a neighborhood area, especially that dangerous that they have to evacuate people,” Solano said. “But again, it's not up to me. I don’t make the laws. I don’t make the rules. We just have to do what is best I guess.”
Solano, who has multiple jobs, said he felt very tired and weak and believed the stress of the chemical leak was exacerbating his anemia and ulcerative colitis.
“This has been affecting me quite a bit,” he said.
Solano also said he went to his apartment after work Friday to grab belongings and saw other residents who had not evacuated, and he was worried for them.
The damaged tank is located at GKN Aerospace, which makes parts for commercial and military aircraft. It holds 6,000 to 7,000 gallons (22,700 and 26,500 liters) of methyl methacrylate, used to make plastic parts.
Exposure to methyl methacrylate can cause serious respiratory problems and even render someone unconscious. It can also cause neurological problems and irritate the skin, eyes and throat, according to fact sheets about the chemical. But Orange County health officials said the chemical is easy to smell, and residents may notice it over a large area without being harmed.
Whelton said the volume of chemical in the tank is much smaller than in the disastrous 2023 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, which he studied when more than 115,000 gallons (435,000 liters) of vinyl chloride was released after officials blew open five tank cars and burned the chemical.
“Many of these are acute, fast-acting effects. But the longer somebody stays in contact with it, the more potential for significant damage that occurs,” Whelton said.
If there is an explosion, officials said they expect “severe structural damage and significant harm” in the blast zone closest to the tank.
If an explosion releases the chemical into the air, Whelton said, it will be crucial to conduct detailed air monitoring specifically for methyl methacrylate and not just generic tests for volatile organic compounds as officials did in East Palestine. General tests, often completed with handheld detectors, may not be capable of detecting the chemical. Indoor tests of buildings and homes may also be needed before residents return home.
The weather will be an important factor in determining where a plume of chemicals would go in the event of an explosion. Officials were developing maps to predict different scenarios about which areas would be most affected.
Meanwhile containment barriers have been set up to prevent the chemical from getting into storm drains or reaching creeks or the nearby ocean in the event of a spill, Covey said.
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Orange County, making state resources available to local agencies and letting state-owned properties and fairgrounds be used for shelters if necessary.
Garden Grove is next to Anaheim, home to Disneyland’s two theme parks, which were not under evacuation orders. Park officials said they were monitoring the incident and supporting employees impacted by evacuations.
According to a report on the South Coast Air Quality Management District website, GKN agreed to pay state regulators over $900,000 in 2025 to settle violations involving recordkeeping, permitting issues and nitrogen oxide emissions.
Associated Press writers Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut, and Michael R. Blood in Los Angeles contributed.
Tables and chairs are set up as people arrive at Freedom Hall, an evacuation center in Fountain Valley, Calif., after a storage tank containing a chemical used to make plastic parts overheated Thursday at an aerospace plastics facility in Garden Grove, on Saturday, May 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Jill Connelly)
People arrive at Freedom Hall, an evacuation center in Fountain Valley, Calif., after a storage tank containing a chemical used to make plastic parts overheated Thursday at an aerospace plastics facility in Garden Grove, on Saturday, May 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Jill Connelly)
People arrive at Freedom Hall, an evacuation center in Fountain Valley, Calif., after a storage tank containing a chemical used to make plastic parts overheated Thursday at an aerospace plastics facility in Garden Grove, on Saturday, May 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Jill Connelly)
Tina Tran, Diane Nguyen, and supervisor Janet Nguyen set up shade tents outside Freedom Hall, an evacuation center in Fountain Valley, Calif., after a storage tank containing a chemical used to make plastic parts overheated Thursday at an aerospace plastics facility in Garden Grove, on Saturday, May 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Jill Connelly)
People arrive at Freedom Hall, an evacuation center in Fountain Valley, Calif., after a storage tank containing a chemical used to make plastic parts overheated Thursday at an aerospace plastics facility in Garden Grove, on Saturday, May 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Jill Connelly)
Evacuees from an aerospace chemical plant tank leak move to another shelter after the Garden Grove Sports and Recreation Center closed for the night in Garden Grove, Calif., Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Water is sprayed on a tank that overheated at an aerospace plant in Garden Grove, Calif., Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Evacuees from an aerospace chemical plant tank leak move to another shelter after the Garden Grove Sports and Recreation Center closed for the night in Garden Grove, Calif., Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
An aerial view of evacuated streets as water is sprayed on a tank that overheated at an aerospace plant in Garden Grove, Calif., Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Water is sprayed on a tank that overheated at an aerospace plant in Garden Grove, Calif., Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Water is sprayed on a tank that overheated at an aerospace plant in Garden Grove, Calif., Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Orange County Fire Authority Division Chief Craig Covey speaks during a news conference at the Los Alamitos racetrack in Cypress, Calif., Friday, May 22, 2026, about hazmat situation in Garden Grove, Calif. (Jeff Gritchen/The Orange County Register via AP)
Angie Mallon, an evacuee from an aerospace chemical plant tank leak, exits the Garden Grove Sports and Recreation Center with her pet pigeon in Garden Grove, Calif., Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Firefighters work at the scene of a chemical tank that overheated at an aerospace plant in Garden Grove, Calif., Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Water is sprayed on a tank that overheated at an aerospace plant in Garden Grove, Calif., Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Evacuees from an aerospace chemical plant tank leak move to another shelter after the Garden Grove Sports and Recreation Center closed for the night in Garden Grove, Calif., Friday, May 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
