MEXICO CITY -- Oribe Peralta scored in the 89th minute to give America a 1-1 tie with the Montreal Impact on Wednesday night in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League final.
The second-half substitute scored on a header off a cross from Argentine midfielder Rubens Sambueza.
Argentine striker Ignacio Piatti scored on a cross from Andres Romero in the 16th minute for the Impact.
Montreal needs a scoreless draw or a win in the second leg, to be played next Wednesday night at home at Olympic Stadium, to become the first Canadian team to win the CONCACAF tournament.
America needs a victory or a tie by more than two goals to win its fifth CONCACAF championship and first one since 2006.
The Impact, the first Canadian team to appear in a CONCACAF final, is trying to become the first non-Mexican team to win the tournament since Costa Rica's Saprissa in 2005.