This weekend, the 2026 Major League Soccer regular season came to an end. Montreal, Alexis Sánchez's team, prematurely ran out of chances. Due to their poor campaign, they were eliminated from playoff contention and will have no more official activity for the rest of the year. On Saturday, they lost at home 2-0 to Vancouver Whitecaps, putting an end to a campaign that was simply forgettable. Even in the closing of the MLS regular phase, interim coach Philippe Eullaffroy did not field the Tocopilla native in the starting lineup. The arrival of La Roja's all-time top scorer in a league that has grown by targeting galactic signings (Messi, Suárez, Griezmann, Lewandowski, Casemiro, Hyung-min Son) began with evident expectations, as he became the Franchise Player of the Quebec squad. However, it ended up being a disappointing stint: no sporting success, limited playing time, and a visible falling-out with the coach. Sánchez's first spell in North America consisted of 15 MLS appearances, with no goals or assists. That is not what one expects from a player of his caliber. Of those 15 appearances, he started in nine, totaling 898 minutes. In short, his average was one hour per match. The balance is not positive, either individually or collectively. One only needs to look at the North American league table. Montreal finished as the bottom team of the Eastern Conference with 26 points in 34 matches, the product of six wins, eight draws, and 20 losses, with 37 goals for and 69 against. They finished seven points behind the teams above them, Atlanta United and DC United. But looking at the overall 2026 MLS table, with all the clubs in the division, the Canadians also appear in last place. Thirtieth out of 30. Kansas City has the same points total, but with one more win. In the twilight of his sporting career, having bet on North America after a long and fruitful stay in the European elite, he recorded the worst league campaign of his career. He had never finished a domestic tournament in a lower position. At the start of his career, Chile played under a short-tournament format with playoffs. Three times in a row he reached the quarterfinals with Cobreloa (Apertura and Clausura 2005, plus the 2006 Apertura). He then played two tournaments with Colo Colo and was champion in both (Clausura '06 and Apertura '07). After that came his journey around the world. He would be champion with River Plate (Clausura 2008), Barcelona (2012-2013), and Inter Milan (2020-2021 and 2023-2024). This is the kinder side of the analysis. As mentioned, with Montreal he finished 15th in his conference and 30th in the overall MLS table. He had once before finished in 15th place in a table. That was in Serie A 2009-2010 with Udinese, his second season in Italy. But it must be noted that it was 15th out of 20 teams (in North America he was last in both tables). Going further back in time, there is his campaign with River in the 2007 Apertura. In that tournament, Los Millonarios finished in 14th place, out of 20 teams. More recent are the 13th place finish by Sevilla in LaLiga 2025-2026, and Udinese's 12th place in Serie A in the 2024-2025 season. In other words, over the last three championships, in three different countries, Alexis's teams finished outside the top 10. What will become of the Tocopilla native's future? La Tercera reported in October that Alexis Sánchez was weighing his future in Montreal. His contract, which runs for two seasons, has an exit clause that he can exercise at the end of the year, allowing him to evaluate different options. Next year, the MLS will have a major change in its calendar, as it will be aligned with Europe's starting in mid-2027. In the first half of the year, there will be a transition tournament (Sprint Season). NEWSLETTER El Deportivo Monday, 8:45 AM A special selection with coverage and analysis of the most important sporting events of the weekend, by the La Tercera Sports team. By subscribing, you are accepting La Tercera's Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policies.