We’ve heard it many times over the past couple months. Argentine forward Claudio Lopez coming to the MLS for some club’s designated player tag. For a while we didn’t know which club as names bounded around from DC to Dallas to Colorado but one finally seemed to stick, Kansas City.
I’ve waited around a little bit to even talk about this story again in length after seeing other high priced Argentine players flirt with the notion of coming to the MLS this off-season. I am sure I talked about Lopez at some point and time last month about joining a MLS club this year but didn’t really seem to give it any time due to the chances of it actually happening.
Point and case, until the guy is signing his name on a contract and is holding up a jersey of a club, then I will believe it and give it what it is worth.
But over the weekend I got word that there were some serious talks between KC and Lopez about a contract. Steve Goff even talked about it on Friday so you have to figure that something is really in the works here. Not that I didn’t believe Goff at the time, I think I was just merely waiting yet again for more details.
All I know is what you all probably know by now. The two sides are talking and things are from what I am being told “optimistic” by both sides to get a deal done. We were optimistic back when Juan Sebastian Veron was looking at signing with DC United. Not to say that Lopez will pull the same kind of trigger and head back to Argentina and not come to the MLS, no, I am just again waiting until I see him holding up a jersey in front of the press here in the States.
Obviously this is a deal that Wizard fans want and probably need to happen more than anything. I’ve been pretty critical about them this off-season in terms of how they haven’t looked to replace anyone that has left, most notably the gapping hole in the striker position left by Eddie Johnson. Lopez would certainly fill what Johnson took with him to London, goal scoring. He has scored a 151 goals over the years in club play and 10 for Argentina on the national team side of things.
The 33-year-old striker would bring a class to Kansas City that hasn’t been seen probably since the days that Preki wore the blue and white.
My only question to Lopez is, has he seen the home stadium that KC plays in? Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean to knock on the current stadium situation for the Wizards because I know their new stadium (whenever it is actually built) will be one of the best in the league. Thing is will Lopez be around for another couple years to see that? I think the problem that the Wizards are having this off-season to attract quality players is due to their stadium situation, which is terrible for them really and the league.
I don’t mean to go off-topic here but its the truth really. I only hope that Lopez isn’t worried about such a thing and signs with the club. Lord knows they will need his offense this season.
So do you all think he will actually sign with the club? Or will he pull a Veron and stay back home in Argentina?
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