Hernán López, the Earthquakes’ former club-record signee, is out of coach Bruce Arena’s plans and heading back to his native Argentina.
The Quakes announced a loan on Thursday morning to Argentinos Juniors, the childhood club of his great-uncle, the legendary Diego Maradona.
It will be an 18-month loan with an option for Juniors to buy López’s contract.
The 24-year-old attacking midfielder missed most of March and all of April after undergoing shoulder surgery, and has not played since May 31 under Arena’s new system, which features an attacking trio of Cristian Espinoza and offseason additions Josef Martinez and Chicho Arango.
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)
The Quakes have made a significant turnaround in the first half of the 2025 season, sitting sixth in the Western Conference with 28 points in their first year under the former MLS Cup-winning coach.
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López tied for the team lead in goals scored last season despite not joining the club until May. The Quakes acquired the Argentinian as a designated player a month into the season for a club-record fee of nearly $6 million. It was more than double the previous club record of almost $3 million that was paid for Carlos Gruezo before the 2023 season.
López scored six goals with two assists in 26 MLS appearances last season. He scored nine goals while dishing three assists across all competitions with the Quakes. He appeared in five games this season, four starts, and didn’t score a goal.
Before joining the Quakes, López spent five years in Argentina’s top tier, collecting 12 goals and seven assists over 84 league appearances for River Plate (2019-20), Central Córdoba (2021-22), and Godoy Cruz (2023-24).