Santiago López (soccer, born 2005)

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.

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

Early life

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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

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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

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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

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  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.
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