Yeah, I thought of Chofis and also MPG, but also.........Maradona ! He's got the build - low center of gravity, the left foot, the craftiness, the tenacity. Of course not nearly on that level, but just in terms of style of play. He may not like it but the Quakes marketing team shouldn't hesitate to mention that he's Maradona's great nephew
His paternal great-grandfather is also called Diego Maradona "Chitoro" (1927–2015) according to Wikipedia.
"contract until December 2026 with the possibility of extending it for two more years." Full name Hernán López Muñoz Date of birth 7 September 2000 (age 23) Place of birth Villa del Parque, Argentina Height 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) Position(s) Midfielder So age 23 when he signs, contract until he's 26, possible extensions to 28... basically the prime years for a midfielder:
The Quakes marketing team hasn't been this excited about a new signing since they got to refer to Andreas Gorlitz as a former Bayern Munich player.
Worth noting that Hernan Lopez has already had plenty of success in the United States at the most important levels.. before joining the academy ranks of Primera División side River Plate in 2014; where he'd notably win the Generation Adidas Cup in back-to-back years from 2016.[1][4][5][6]
In fact he was on one of the last foreign teams to do it (except apparently Wikipedia hasn't been updated for 2024: "Philadelphia Union take home the championship in the U-17 age group, while Valencia CF (Spain) earned the U-15 age group title")
Club record $7 million transfer fee according to this Hernán López Muñoz would be a club record signing at $7m according to this report. https://t.co/DtxoHCLcdj— Quakes Epicenter (@QuakesEpicenter) April 23, 2024 🚨🇦🇷🇺🇸 HERNÁN LÓPEZ MUÑOZ ES NUEVO REFUERZO DE SAN JOSÉ EARTHQUAKES.💰 Lo paga USD 7M, 3.5M para Godoy Cruz y 3.5M para River, ya que tenían 50% y 50%.Vía @CLMerlo - @GerGarciaGrova. pic.twitter.com/YjrBmFcUcN— Sudanalytics (@sudanalytics_) April 23, 2024
Being a Quakes fan, that's exactly what came through my mind. He plays fine and improves the team. Then he is injured. $7 million is gone. All eggs in one basket.
In fairness wasn't he the one who got crashed into the old metal signboards at Buck Shaw and ended up with a serious knee injury.
We have him for almost 3 years. It would have to practically be a career ender. Many teams have that one critical player - usually CAM. So we aren’t really breaking new ground here.
The FBREF scouting report on Quakes rumored signing Hernán López Muñoz pic.twitter.com/5My2L8tg0S— Phillip Leyva (@philthisisphil) April 23, 2024
As I pointed out earlier today he’s 99th percentile among attacking mids in successful take-ons. Of course that’s not successful take-on percentage. But at the very least he tries a lot and succeeds a lot. He also plays defense. 86th percentile in tackles. He tackles more than Gruezo.
Ruh-roh, transfermarkt says he missed most of 21-22 with a ligament tear. Not much since then though.
Watching his highlights, that would be the only reason we could land him for 7M even... there has to be some risk.
Thats why I said, it wouldn't surprise me if he spends time on the injury list at some point. In a very physical MLS, its bound to happen. I will be happy with his signing, but I'm not going to be bullish right away. He could end up looking like a jack ass trying to play with actual jackasses on our team. Espnioza and him should be fun though. Also wouldn't surprise me if he's signed and the Quakes/MLS don't announce it for 5 days
There's a cloud with every silver lining. I'm believing the 99% of other reports, but of course given the team we support I'm preparing myself for the worst. Is it #NERevs or San Jose who have reached agreement with Hernán López Muñoz? https://t.co/9pwSGzmNle pic.twitter.com/82WHIfnfYz— A Casual Fan (@A_Casual_Fan) April 23, 2024