Since CONCACAF adopted the fall-to-spring Champions League model beginning with the 2008-09 season, Major League Soccer fans have been waiting for a local club to contend for the title and a spot at the FIFA Club World Cup.
The Montreal Impact's run to the Champions League final, which they will kick off against Mexican power Club América on Wednesday (9pm ET, FOX Sports 2, UniMás), is the second of its kind in tournament's seven-year history.
The first came from Real Salt Lake in 2011, with the Utah club carrying the hopes of Major League Soccer into their championship series against Monterrey. RSL earned a spirited, encouraging 2-2 draw in the first leg in Monterrey, only to fall 1-0 in a heartbreaking finale at Rio Tinto Stadium.
MLS Insider chronicled that dramatic spring in a piece entitled, "The Great Run," one well worth watching ahead of Montreal's chance to become the most successful MLS team in Champions League history.
