Montreal Impact agree to terms with Ignacio Piatti on new deal

Montreal Impact fans awoke to some much-needed good news Thursday as the club announced it's come to terms on a new deal with talismanic winger Ignacio Piatti.

The extension will keep the 32-year-old beyond his contract expiration date of June 30, 2018. While the Impact did not provide specifics regarding the length or terms of his new deal, the Argentine Designated Player would presumably stay with the club through at least the entirety of the 2018 MLS season.

"We are very excited that Nacho has decided to stay in Montreal," Impact president Joey Saputo said in a statement. "He is a world-class player who belongs among the league's elite. Our supporters will have the opportunity to continue to enjoy his great qualities, which will help us reach our objectives."

Indeed, Piatti has been one of the league's bright lights since joining Montreal in 2014. His 52 goals in 98 league and playoff matches, coupled with his 24 assists, make Piatti the focal point of the Impact attack.

This year, Piatti is on pace to beat his career-high 17 goals, as he has three matches left in 2017. But the Impact sit outside a playoff berth, four points behind the New York Red Bulls, who have an additional game in hand.

So, while Montreal might bid an early au revoir to the 2017 campaign, fans of the team can at least take solace in the return of their star man. It was not an assured return, though, as Piatti remarked earlier in the year: "Maybe that's it, my last 10 games here, my last season."

None of that uncertainty was to be found in his latest statement.

"My family and I are very happy with this agreement," Piatti said. "I wanted to stay in Montreal, with a club, a city and fans that I appreciate immensely."