Santiago López (soccer, born 2005)

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is López and the second or maternal family name is López.
Santiago López
Personal information
Full name Santiago López López
Date of birth (2005-06-10) 10 June 2005 (age 19)
Place of birth Morelia, Mexico
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 UNAM
Number 254
Youth career
Oakville SC
2019– UNAM
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2024– UNAM 2 (0)
International career‡
2023 Mexico U18 5 (0)
2024 Canada U20 7 (6)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 1 February 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 30 July 2024

Santiago López López (born 10 June 2005) is a professional soccer player who plays as a forward for UNAM in Liga MX. Born in Mexico, he is a youth international for Canada.

Early life

Born in Morelia, Mexico, López lived in Canada from 2009 to 2015, when his parents moved for work, before then returning to Mexico.[1] In Canada, he played with Oakville SC.[2] López joined the youth academy of UNAM in 2019 at the age of 13.[3] He was the top scorer for the UNAM U18s in the 2023 Apertura with 10 goals.[4]

Club career

On 29 January 2024, he made his senior and professional debut with UNAM, as a substitute, in a 3–1 Liga MX win over Pachuca.[5]

International career

López is a dual Mexican and Canadian citizen and is eligible for both national teams.[6][7]

In August 2023, López was called up to the Mexico U18 for a set of friendlies.[8]

In February 2024, López was called up to the Canada U20s for 2024 CONCACAF U-20 Championship qualifying matches.[9][10] He made his debut on 23 February, scoring two goals in an 8-0 victory over Dominica U20.[11][12] He finished the qualifying tournament with three goals in three games, helping Canada qualify for the main phase.[13] In July 2024, López was named to the final roster for the tournament.[14]

In October 2024, he was named to the Canada senior team for the first time, for a friendly match against Panama.[15]

References

  1. ^ "¡Fuga de talento! Santiago López, canterano de Pumas con doble nacionalidad, es convocado por la Sub-20 de Canadá" [Flight of talent! Santiago López, Pumas youth player with dual nationality, is called up by the Canadian U-20]. Latin US (in Spanish). 12 February 2024.
  2. ^ @piercelang (12 February 2024). "Two former Oakville Soccer Club players, Lazar Stefanovic and Santiago Lopez named to the 2024 Concacaf Men's U-20 Championship Qualifiers Roster" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  3. ^ Mondragon, Emmanuel (28 February 2024). "Santiago López, el mexicano y canterano de Pumas que avanzó al premundial con Canadá" [Santiago López, the Mexican and Pumas youth player who advanced to the World Cup with Canada]. Tribuna (in Spanish).
  4. ^ Badillo, Mario (16 February 2024). "Santiago López, el delantero del futuro para Pumas" [Santiago López, the forward of the future for Pumas]. Medio Tiempo (in Spanish).
  5. ^ "Santiago López, nuevo debut en Pumas" [Santiago López, new debut in Pumas]. UNAM (in Spanish). 30 January 2024.
  6. ^ Domínguez, Alex (13 February 2024). "¿Quién es Santiago López, el canterano de Pumas que prefirió defender los colores de Canadá sobre los de México?" [Who is Santiago López, the Pumas youth player who preferred to defend the colors of Canada over those of Mexico?]. Infobae (in Spanish).
  7. ^ Dominguez, Fabrizio (13 February 2024). "Santiago López, un Puma Canadiense" [Santiago López, a Canadian Puma]. W Desportes (in Spanish).
  8. ^ "Pablo Lara y Santiago López, a la Selección Mexicana Sub-18" [Pablo Lara and Santiago López, to the Mexican Under-18 Team]. UNAM (in Spanish). 29 August 2023.
  9. ^ Pacheco, Enrique (12 February 2024). "Selección Mexicana perdería a joya de Pumas UNAM; Santiago López es convocado con Canadá" [Mexican National Team would lose the jewel of Pumas UNAM ; Santiago López is called up with Canada]. SoyFutbol (in Spanish).
  10. ^ Gómez, Sebastián (12 February 2024). "Canadá convoca a Santiago López, canterano de Pumas" [Canada calls up Santiago López, Pumas youth player]. Diario AS (in Spanish).
  11. ^ Gómez, Sebastián (24 February 2024). "¡De Pumas para el mundo! Santi López anotó doblete con Canadá" [From Pumas to the world! Santi López scored a double with Canada]. Diario AS (in Spanish).
  12. ^ López, Jesús (26 February 2024). "Mientras Santiago López brilló con Canadá, la mala noticia que tiene en Pumas" [While Santiago López shone with Canada, the bad news he has in Pumas]. Somos Pumas (in Spanish).
  13. ^ López, Jesús (28 February 2024). "Santiago López, canterano de Pumas, y su éxito con la selección sub-20 de Canadá, lleva 3 goles" [Santiago López, Pumas youth player, and his success with the Canadian U-20 team, he has 3 goals]. Somos Pumas (in Spanish).
  14. ^ "CANM20 squad announced for 2024 CONCACAF U-20 Championship". Canadian Soccer Association. 11 July 2024.
  15. ^ "Jesse Marsch: Calling up Poku, López & Knight-Lebel represents next stage of process for CanMNT". Canadian Soccer Daily. 3 October 2024.