Editor’s note: This is part of a series of stories looking at the individual performances of Defiance players who are under contract in 2025. You can find all the stories here.
The former Sounders Academy player spent four years at Duke before getting picked by the Sounders in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft. He spent much of preseason with the first team and ultimately joined up with Defiance where he established himself as a regular starter alongside Stuart Hawkins.
Born: May 21, 2002 (22)
2024 stats: 2 goals, 2,152 minutes
Total professional minutes: 2,152
Year in review: Considering how rarely the Sounders sign their SuperDraft picks, it was at least a little surprising that Lopez ended up spending a good deal of preseason with the first team. But the Sounders clearly rated him, as he logged minutes in both the regular season and U.S. Open Cup. With Defiance, he was among their more reliable players with 27 appearances that included 22 starts. He was also a somewhat underrated passer, registering the 15th best passing score of any player in MLS Next Pro, according to American Soccer Analysis.
If it all works out: It’s worth remembering that it was only four or five years ago, where the norm was for MLS rookies to be the age that Lopez is now. Given his play with Defiance and that he’s already received some first-team call-ups, it hardly seems out of the question that a fulltime MLS career could be in his future. Although he doesn’t receive as much attention as some of his fellow Defiance defenders, he’s worth keeping an eye on.
