Montreal Impact secure extension for star attacker Ignacio Piatti

The Montreal Impact announced on Thursday that the club has reached an agreement with Argentine midfielder and Designated PlayerIgnacio Piatti to extend his stay with the Impact through 2019 with an option for 2020.


ā€œWe are very excited that Nacho has decided to stay in Montreal,ā€ said Impact president Joey Saputo. ā€œHe is a world-class player who belongs among the leagueā€™s elite. Our supporters will have the opportunity to continue to enjoy his great qualities, which will help us reach our objectives.ā€

Piatti has scored 17 goals in back-to-back seasons with the Impact, and is currently fifth in the race for the MLS Golden Boot. He is the third DP signing in the club's MLS historyand will be entering his fifth season in the league in 2018.


In total, Piatti has posted 47 goals and 21 assists in regular-season play, and has been a key element of Montreal's playoff runs in both 2015 and 2016. In the Audi 2016 MLS Cup Playoffs, he racked up four goals and two assists across five games as the Impact made a run to the Eastern Conference Final before losing a thrilling series to rivals Toronto FC.


The announcement comes after Piatti had raised doubts last month as to whether or not he would remain in Montreal beyond the 2017 season.


ā€œMy family and I are very happy with this agreement,ā€ added Piatti. ā€œI wanted to stay in Montreal, with a club, a city and fans that I appreciate immensely.ā€


The Impact will hold a press conference to officially unveil Piatti's extension during the October international break.