SANTA CLARA – A 5-foot-5 Argentinian No. 10 with a penchant for shredding opponents in the attacking third made his first appearance in the South Bay.
No, Diego Maradona isn’t walking through the door for the last-place San Jose Earthquakes.
But his great-nephew Hernán López, blessed with the legend’s genes and at least a bit of the late Argentinian’s footballing talent, is.
The 23-year-old midfielder, signed from Argentina’s famed club River Plate last week, will try to recreate some of Maradona’s magical runs and iconic goals for the struggling Major League Soccer side.
López certainly didn’t shy away from talking about his famous family member, who died in 2020, during his introductory press conference at Levi’s Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.
“I’m very excited to be here in San Jose, and I wish to represent my uncle well,” said López. “That’s what my game is modeled after: breaking lines and getting in behind.”
López isn’t expected to play in Saturday’s game against Los Angeles FC in Santa Clara, but should be in game shape considering he played in a Copa de la Superliga Liga Profesional Playoff match as recently as April 21.
The MLS team that has lost eight of 10 games doesn’t expect their Argentinian signing with an all-time great relative to single-handedly save the club.
But he will work with a 2023 all-star and fellow Argentine in wing Cristian Espinoza to unlock the team’s stuttering attack.
The club, owned by the notoriously-frugal John Fisher, dropped a club record $6 million to bring López stateside.
“There’s things that are there that aren’t coachable, and his talent and creativity is natural,” second-year coach Luchi Gonzalez said.
López has spent his entire career playing in Argentina, so he sought counsel from several other compatriots like Espinoza who had made the jump from the Primera Division to Major League Soccer before the move.
“He grew up with a heavy backpack on his shoulders carrying the name of his uncle,” Espinoza said. “But for us, he’s just Hernan López, and we’re going to try to help him adapt to the team.”
SANTA CLARA – Earthquakes soccer player Hernan Lopez (black hoodie) is interviewed by media. The San Jose Earthquakes introduced Lopez, the great-nephew of Diego Maradona, to the media at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara Calif. on Wednesday, May 1, 2024 (Joseph Dycus/Bay Area News Group)
López said that he wasn’t able to get ahold of Lionel Messi at Inter Miami though.
“It is cool, and it will be exciting the first time,” López said about facing the man who led their country to the 2022 World Cup, adding that his focus is primarily getting the Quakes back to the playoffs though.
Though River Plate owned his rights, López spent the majority of his career loaned out to other league sides in Central Cordoba and Godoy Cruz, where he scored 12 goals and dished out seven assists across 84 appearances.
Soccer is a game of small margins, where one key pass or a completed dribble can turn into a game-changing strike. Gonzalez’s team has seen that firsthand this season, where five of their losses have come by one goal.
It’s a stark contrast to last season, where Gonzalez led the Earthquakes to a surprising playoff berth in his first year on the job.
“We’ve been competitive in 95 percent of our games and have had the lead in six or seven of our games,” Gonzalez said. “This is the kind of game that can spark momentum.”
A playmaker like López will be asked to use his attacking talents to swing games like that back in the Earthquake’s favor.
The team has surrendered a league-worst 25 goals, four more than second-place Portland, and an attacking midfielder like López won’t be asked to help stop opposing surges.
But if the team is trying to double-down on offense, where the team’s 14 goals ranks them a respectable 14th out of 29, then the Quakes could do far worse than the uber-talented wonderkid.
“He couldn’t have come at a better time for us,” the Earthquakes coach said before he watched his new signing pose with a 49ers jersey.
López is expected to be far more than just a one-year jolt of energy for the struggling side. He’s signed through 2026, with club options in 2027 and 2028.
“It’s great to know that he’s in our project for years to come,” Gonzalez said.
SANTA CLARA – Earthquakes soccer player Hernan Lopez poses with a San Francisco 49ers jersey. The San Jose Earthquakes introduced Lopez, the great-nephew of Diego Maradona, to the media at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara Calif. on Wednesday, May 1, 2024 (Joseph Dycus/Bay Area News Group)
