MONTREAL -- Backed by a record-setting crowd at Olympic Stadium, the Montreal Impact took an early lead against Mexican powerhouse Club America in the decisive second leg of the CONCACAF Champions League final. But Dario Benedetto equalized five minutes into the second half, and Oribe Peralta stuck the dagger in when he put the visitors up 2-1 in the 64th minute.
Benedetto struck again moments later and completed his hat trick in the 81st. Jack McInerney pulled one back late, but America prevailed 4-2 (5-3 on aggregate) and clinched a berth in FIFA's Club World Cup for the first time since 2006.
Here are three quick thoughts following the match.
1. Club America is a deserving champion
The best team outside of Europe finally played like it in the second half, attacking in waves and shredding the home team, who were clearly deflated when Peralta's strike ensured that the Impact would need to score three times to avoid being eliminated via the away goals rule.
But as well as the Impact played over most of the two legs, the truth is that this matchup wasn't a fair fight. No MLS team can come close to competing with America's financial muscle, and until the humble American and Canadian league finds a way to lure as many top quality players as the top best Liga MX sides do, MLS will continue its run of futility in this competition.
Mexican clubs have won all six editions since the tournament adopted its current format in 2009. The losing team has been Mexican all but one of those times, too. That doesn't figure to change soon. You get what you pay for. Until MLS is willing to raise its salary cap in a significant way -- and that won't be for at least another five years, when the recently agreed to collective bargaining agreement expires -- MLS's long wait to send a representative to FIFA's Club World Cup will go on.
2. Bravo, Montreal
That goes for both the city and the club. The Impact's implausible run may have ended in heartbreak, but the fact that the team that finished dead last in the MLS standings last season and has won just seven of its last 47 games in the domestic league even made it this far is a triumph. They became just the second MLS club to reach the regional finale under the current setup (following Real Salt Lake in 2011). And despite the fact that coach Frank Klopas overhauled his roster during the winter, they stood toe-to-toe with richest team in CONCACAF for 120 minutes of the two-game finale.
The city deserves plenty of praise, too. Montreal put on an incredible spectacle on Wednesday. The 61,004 inside the crumbling "Big O" -- a new Canadian record -- created an atmosphere on par with any anywhere in the world. Back in February, before the Impact's journey through the knockout rounds began, owner Joey Saputo lamented the lack of buzz ahead of the team's fourth season in the top flight. Saputo even questioned whether Montreal was a true soccer town. The answer came loud and clear on Wednesday, even in defeat. Hopefully the Impact can reward those fans by duplicating some of their international success when they return to regular action against Portland on May 9.
3. Nacho Piatti might be the most underrated player in MLS
The silky smooth Argentine Ignacio Piatti doesn't get much attention playing north of the border -- he's never mentioned in the same breath as the likes of Kaka or Sebastian Giovinco, for instance -- but his play on Wednesday and throughout the Impact's magical run might begin to change that. Despite America's star-studded roster, Piatti was the best player on the field for either team in the first half.
He played like a man possessed from the opening whistle, creating the hosts' opener with a brilliant individual effort to beat three defenders on the visitor's touchline before coolly finding a wide-open Andres Romero, who danced around another two before slotting past America keeper Moises Munoz to give the home side the lead after only eight minutes. And Piatti nearly made it 2-0 15 minutes later, only to be stoned by Munoz.
Piatti kept coming. He was at the heart of every Impact attack, routinely taking on multiple players at once. He faded after the break, and in the end, he wasn't able to single-handedly lead Montreal to victory. But you can be sure that MLS defenses will be paying Piatti extra attention for the remainder of the 2015 season, assuming the Impact can hold onto their prized asset during the summer transfer window.