Argentine midfielder Ignacio Piatti (pictured) signed for the Impact de Montreal on July 2, 2014. (Photo courtesy of the Impact de Montreal)
MONTREAL – The Impact de Montreal announced Wednesday that it has agreed to terms with Argentine midfielder Ignacio Piatti.
The 29-year-old will officially join the 2014/15 CONCACAF Champions League qualifier after his current club – Argentina’s San Lorenzo -- completes play in the Copa Libertadores, provided a special exemption is obtained from FIFA to return the player’s registration to Major League Soccer outside of the transfer window.
“It was a long process but we’re excited to bring him here,” said Montreal Impact sporting director Nick De Santis. “We’ve said since last year that we wanted an offensive midfielder and we are adding today a very good player, at the prime of his career, who was a catalyst for San Lorenzo in their last championship and their run in Champions League. He’s very motivated to play in MLS and to be in Montreal.”
Piatti has played for San Lorenzo since August 2012, scoring 12 goals in 53 matches and finishing the first part of the season (Torneo Inicical) as the league’s third leading scorer with eight tallies.
For the first time in 26 years, San Lorenzo advanced to the Copa Libertadores semifinals, where it will face Bolivia’s Bolivar on July 23 and Jul 30. Piatti played a key role in that achievement, scoring against Cruzeiro in the quarterfinals and Botafogo in the round of 16.
