The San Jose Earthquakes will be without attacking midfielder Hernán López until at least mid-June after the great nephew of international superstar Diego Maradona underwent right shoulder surgery on Friday, the team announced.
López, 24, 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 last 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.
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)
López started the first two games of the season for the new-look Quakes but did not play in last Saturday’s loss to Minnesota. The Quakes (2-1-0) play Colorado on Saturday night at PayPal Park.
The Quakes said López is expected to miss three to four months. If the left-footer returns by July 1 the Quakes would still have 14 games remaining in their 34-game MLS regular-season schedule.
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.
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).
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