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.
Now Hernán López, the great-nephew of the late Maradona who was famous for such plays, hopes to recreate some of that same magic for the last-place San Jose Earthquakes.
López, the 23-year-old midfielder blessed with the legend’s genes and at least a bit of the late Argentinian’s footballing talent, was at Levi’s Stadium on Wednesday. During his introductory press conference, he didn’t hesitate to talk about Maradona, who died of a heart attack in 2020 at the age of 60.
“I’m very excited to be here in San Jose, and I wish to represent my uncle well,” said López, who was signed from Argentina’s famed club River Plate last week. “That’s what my game is modeled after: breaking lines and getting in behind.”
López isn’t expected to play Saturday when the Quakes host LAFC at Levi’s Stadium. Still, he should be in game shape, considering he played in a Copa de la Superliga Liga Profesional Playoff match on 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 save the club single-handedly. But he will work with a 2023 all-star and fellow Argentine in wing Cristian Espinoza to unlock the team’s stuttering attack.
The Earthquakes (1-8-1), 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, before the move, he sought counsel from several other compatriots like Espinoza, who had made the jump from the Primera Division to Major League Soccer.
“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.”
López said he couldn’t get ahold of Lionel Messi at Inter Miami, though.
“It is cool, and it will be exciting the first time,” López said of talking to Messi, who led Argentina to the 2022 World Cup.
Though River Plate owned his rights, López spent most of his career loaned out to other league sides in Central Cordoba and Godoy Cruz, where he scored 12 goals with seven assists across 84 appearances.
Gonzalez’s team could use a boost. The Earthquakes entered this week in 14th and last place in the Western Conference, with five of their losses by one goal. Last season, 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 Earthquakes are trying to double-down on offense, where the team’s 14 goals rank them a respectable 14th out of 29, then the Quakes could do far worse than the uber-talented wunderkind.
“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.
