MIAMI, Florida – As Oribe Peralta thinks back on the 2014-15 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League Final, the smile on his face is noticeable.

“It gives me goosebumps thinking about it. Remembering those moments makes you very happy, because you remember everything you went through to arrive at that precise moment,” said Peralta in an exclusive interview with Concacaf.com.

That was, of course, the Final when Peralta and Club America defeated the Montreal Impact 5-3 on aggregate to win the club’s sixth Concacaf title. For Peralta, after losing two previous SCCL Finals as a member of Santos Laguna, winning a first SCCL was a moment to savor.

“The Champions League is a tournament that gave me many joyful moments, but at first it was bittersweet because I couldn’t win the cup with the team that I had admired since I was a boy, Santos Laguna. But then later I had the chance to win those titles with Club America. It was very meaningful for me in my career,” said Peralta.

The journey to the 2014-15 SCCL crown for Las Aguilas started in the fall of 2014 in the group stage in which the Liga MX side faced Comunicaciones of Guatemala and Puerto Rico Bayamon. Peralta had a big hand in Club America’s first place finish with three goals, all coming against Comunicaciones.

“We knew that we were obligated to win because of what [the SCCL] means for the club and the importance that it has for a lot of people. We knew we had that commitment and it was all in our hands to advance. We were the favorites, but we had to show it on the field,” said Peralta.

After eliminating Costa Rica’s Deportivo Saprissa 5-0 in the quarterfinals thanks in part to two Peralta goals, Club America squared off with another Costa Rican club, Herediano, in the semifinals. The Ticos earned a big 3-0 win in the first leg, but Club America’s belief never waned and it set the stage for one of the most memorable nights in club history, ending with a 6-0 semifinal second leg win.

“We knew that it wasn’t impossible, even though they had scored three goals on us in the first game. We had created chances and that they could have been scored. In the second game, very quickly we got ahead and so by the end of the game it was total joy felt in that stadium for having reached the Final. The fans believed in us, we believed in ourselves, and it all came together,” said Peralta.

That set up a Final with the Montreal Impact of Major League Soccer (MLS). If winning the SCCL Final wasn’t enough of an obligation for Peralta and Club America, going up against a team from MLS only added to the importance of it.

“We knew that at that time we were representing Mexico and that it was very important to win. We wanted to show that America and Mexican football have that superiority with respect to many teams, so for us the game took on a bigger meaning because we knew it was against an MLS team,” said Peralta.

The first leg at the Final was back at the Estadio Azteca, where Montreal jumped out to a 1-0 lead that they held until the 88’ when Peralta struck for a crucial equalizer.

“I had been suffering from muscular injuries so I did not come in until the second half when we were losing 1-0. We knew that because they had scored an away goal, we had to get a draw at the very least so we could have a better chance of winning the title in Montreal.

“From that moment, I remember clearly the goal. Rubens [Sambueza] plays in a really good cross, I don’t remember the defender who was marking me, but when I saw Rubens play the cross, I anticipated it by jumping first, because I knew I couldn’t out-jump [the defender], so I had to anticipate it first and I was able to head it into goal,” said Peralta.

The second leg had a similar start to the first leg, with an early Montreal goal and Club America trying to respond with a slew of chances. The breakthrough finally came in the 50’ through Dario Benedetto and then 15 minutes later, Peralta scored the goal that would prove to be the title-clincher.

“On the goal, Rubens plays a ball to Darwin [Quintero], who is close to the end line, and he plays a ball into me. When I saw the ball in the air, I took a quick look behind me to see if there was someone behind me. I saw that there was a defender behind me, so I positioned my body so that even if he pushed me, I could still push the ball into net.

“It was a happy moment because it gave us the advantage and Montreal had to go looking for the game. They had to open up and leave us spaces in the back, which is what we needed to win,” said Peralta.

In the end, Club America won the second leg 4-2 and the series 5-3, providing Peralta with one of the fondest memories of his decorated career.

“At the final whistle, you feel a huge satisfaction. It had been so hard, losing two finals before. I was so happy and it was icing on the cake to hear it.”

“The team enjoyed lifting the trophy because of all the circumstances in the games leading up to it against Herediano, against Montreal. There were adverse circumstances that when you are crowned with a title, you feel immense joy. After losing two finals with Santos and then finally winning it with America, it was very important for me,” concluded Peralta.


Oribe Peralta left, Dario Benedetto and Martin Zuniga at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal