Alexis Sánchez leaves his mark in home debut for Montreal with instant impact against LA Galaxy

He came off the bench, barely got a few minutes on the field, and still left his mark. That was the simple story of Alexis Sánchez's first home appearance for CF Montreal: a 2-2 draw against LA Galaxy on Saturday, with the Tocopilla native getting a hand in the play that led to the Canadian side's second goal.

Context matters here: this was his home unveiling in the new jersey, just a few weeks after joining the club. And even though the match ended in a split of points, what fans saw on the field was enough to get the locker room talking about him ahead of schedule.

One of the first to be won over by the Chilean's quality was Mexican forward Daniel Ríos, his new teammate, who didn't hide his excitement over the impact Sánchez made the moment he stepped onto the pitch.

Everybody was really excited to see him. He's an extraordinary player who played for the best clubs with the best playersDaniel Ríos

Ríos went further, describing in detail what it meant to have him on the field, even in a brief appearance: the ability of Chile's all-time leading scorer to take control of the game the moment he steps in.

His impact was immediate. As soon as he stepped on the field, he started creating plays, controlling the ball and organizing everybody. It's fantastic to have a player like thatDaniel Ríos

Sánchez arrived in North American soccer carrying a career that included stops at Barcelona, Arsenal, Manchester United and Inter Milan, among other major European clubs. That pedigree is exactly what Ríos points to when he talks about the excitement his signing generated in the squad.

A special reunion on the horizon

CF Montreal's next challenge comes this Saturday, August 29, when it hosts Inter Miami in Matchday 22 of Major League Soccer. That game carries extra weight for Sánchez: he'll go up against Lionel Messi, his former Barcelona teammate, with whom he shared a locker room during some of the most memorable years in the Catalan club's history.

It's still too early to draw conclusions about how Sánchez is adjusting to MLS. But the locker room's reaction and that first concrete contribution against LA Galaxy are signs that his arrival is starting to show on the field, not just in the excitement it created off it.