Alexander López
López with the Houston Dynamo in 2014
Personal information
Full name Alexander Agustín López Rodríguez
Date of birth (1992-06-05) 5 June 1992
Place of birth Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Height 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Attacking midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Alajuelense
Number 11
Youth career
1999–2009 Olimpia
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010–2013 Olimpia 95 (6)
2013–2015 Houston Dynamo 28 (0)
2016 Olimpia 19 (2)
2016–2017 Al-Khaleej 11 (2)
2017 Olimpia 27 (12)
2018– Alajuelense 197 (25)
International career‡
2009 Honduras U17 3 (0)
2010–2011 Honduras U20 6 (3)
2011–2012 Honduras U23 9 (1)
2010– Honduras 47 (6)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Honduras
CONCACAF Nations League
Bronze medal – third place2021
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 30 September 2022
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 8 November 2021

Alexander Agustín López Rodríguez (born 5 June 1992) is a Honduran professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Liga FPD club Alajuelense and the Honduras national team.

Club career

Early career

Born in Tegucigalpa, Distrito Central, Francisco Morazán, López joined Olimpia's youth system at the age of 7. He remained in the youth ranks until 2010, where he was finally able to make the breakthrough into the first team.

Olimpia

On 8 August 2010, López made his league debut against Hispano F.C., coming on for Bani Lozano in the 70th minute. He scored his first goal – which was the second of the match – to help seal a 2–0 victory.[1]

Following the 2012 Summer Olympics, López was continuously linked with a move to Europe, with English side Wigan Athletic being an alleged suitor for the young playmaker.[2][3] However, these transfer links came to nothing, and López remained at Olimpia for the following season. In 2022, a British journalist called Kieran Morris claimed that Wigan's interest in the player, which was reported as fact in national newspapers in the UK and Honduras, had been fabricated by him and his friends, who contacted various press outlets pretending to be a club insider or journalist as a prank.[4]

Houston Dynamo

On 6 August 2013, López signed for Major League Soccer side Houston Dynamo as a Designated Player.[5] He made his debut for the club on 20 August in the CONCACAF Champions League against W Connection F.C. in a 0–0 draw. He made his league debut 3 days later in the 5–0 defeat against the Montreal Impact.[6][7] Despite impressing fans with demonstrations of his individual skill – most notably his 30-yard rabona chip for Jason Johnson[8] on his first start against the New York Red Bulls – López was unable to hold down a place in the Dynamo side for the remainder of the 2013 season, as issues with homesickness and fitness prevented Dominic Kinnear from giving the Honduran an extended run in the side.[9] He finished the season with 2 appearances, and providing 1 assist, playing no part in Dynamo's performance in the 2013 Eastern Conference finals.

Return to Olimpia

On 18 January 2016, López returned to Olimpia and signed a six-month contract after it was confirmed that he would no longer continue with Houston Dynamo.[10] He made his first appearance since his return the following 31 January in a 0–0 draw against Real España, replacing Romell Quioto in the 56th minute.[11] He would help Olimpia win the 2016 Clausura tournament, which was also the club's 30th title win.[12]

Al-Khaleej

López signed a two-year deal with Saudi Professional League side Khaleej FC on 28 June 2016. He made his debut the following 12 August in the 3–1 defeat against Al-Faisaly, scoring his first goal.[13] On 22 January 2017, the club announced through their social networks that they had terminated the contract of López.

Second return to Olimpia

After his contract with Al-Khaleej was terminated, López re-signed with Olimpia. On 9 February 2017 he scored in his return match, a 7–1 win over C.D.S. Vida.[14] López would win the inaugural CONCACAF League tournament with Olimpia in October 2017, after his side defeated Santos de Guápiles 4–1 on penalties in the second leg.[15]

Alajuelense

On 13 January 2018, López signed for Costa Rican side Liga Deportiva Alajuelense.[16] He made his league debut for the club in a 3–1 loss against Pérez Zeledón.[17] López would score his first goal in the return fixture against Pérez Zeledón in a 3–0 win.[18]

International career

On 18 November 2008, López made his debut for the Honduras U-17 during the 2009 CONCACAF U-17 Championship qualification match against Belize. He scored his first goal in the 53rd minute in a 9–0 victory.[19] In 2009, he was included by Emilio Umanzor in the 21-man squad for the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Nigeria.

López represented his country at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.[20] He would only play three games, as Honduras would be eliminated by Brazil in the quarter-finals.

In October 2010, López made his senior debut for Honduras in a friendly match against Guatemala. He scored his first senior international goal on 1 September 2017 in the 2018 World Cup qualifying match against Trinidad and Tobago in a 2–1 win. His second goal would come on 21 November 2018 in a 4–1 friendly loss against Chile.[21]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 29 September 2022[22][23]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[lower-alpha 1] Continental[lower-alpha 2] Other[lower-alpha 3] Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Olimpia 2009–10 Liga Nacional 600000—60
2010–11 3730070—443
2011–12 2000020—220
2012–13 3230010—333
Total 95600100 —1056
Houston Dynamo 2013 Major League Soccer 20—400060
2014 10021——121
2015 16020——180
Total 280414000361
Olimpia 2015–16 Liga Nacional 19200——192
Al-Khaleej 2016–17 Saudi Professional League 11210——122
Olimpia 2016–17 Liga Nacional 14900——149
2017–18 1330081—214
Total 27120081—3513
Alajulense 2017–18 Liga FPD 253———253
2018–19 386———386
2019–20 447———447
2020–21 364—51—425
2021–22 394—2010424
2022–23 151—51—202
Total 19725—1221021027
Career total 37747513431041751

International

Scores and results list Honduras goal tally first, score column indicates score after each López goal.
List of international goals scored by Alexander López[23]
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
11 September 2017Ato Boldon Stadium, Couva, Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago1–02–12018 FIFA World Cup qualification
220 November 2018Estadio Municipal Germán Becker, Temuco, Chile Chile1–11–4Friendly
315 November 2020Estadio Doroteo Guamuch Flores, Guatemala City, Guatemala Guatemala1–21–2Friendly
424 March 2021Torpedo Stadium, Zhodino, Zhodzina, Belarus Belarus1–11–1Friendly
517 July 2021BBVA Stadium, Houston, United States Panama2–23–22021 CONCACAF Gold Cup
62 September 2021BMO Field, Toronto, Canada Canada1–01–12022 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

Olimpia

Alajuelense

Honduras

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "Comienza "rugiendo el león"". La Tribuna Deportiva. 9 August 2010. Archived from the original on 17 March 2012.
  2. ↑ "Which one of RvP's three suitors say they've pulled out?: All the transfer news, rumours and gossip from Saturday's papers". Daily Mirror. 28 July 2012.
  3. ↑ "En Inglaterra ponen a Alex López en el Wigan" [In England they're putting Alex López at Wigan] (in Spanish). Diario Diez. 18 December 2013.
  4. ↑ Morris, Kieran (13 October 2022). "The amazing true(ish) story of the 'Honduran Maradona'". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  5. ↑ "Houston Dynamo sign Honduran international Alexander Lopez to young Designated Player deal". MLSSoccer.com. 7 August 2013.
  6. ↑ "Alex López debuta con el Houston en la Concachampions" [Alex López debuts with Houston in the Concachampions] (in Spanish). Diario Diez. 21 August 2013.
  7. ↑ "Match Recap: Houston Dynamo 0, Montreal Impact 5". HoustonDynamo.com. 24 August 2013.
  8. ↑ "GOAL: JOHNSON FINISHES FROM CUTTING LOPEZ PASS". Ben Crook. Houston Dynamo. 8 September 2013. Archived from the original on 23 May 2014. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
  9. ↑ "Houston Dynamo young Designated Player Alex Lopez hoping for more productive 2014". Darrell Lovell. MLSSoccer.com. 30 January 2014. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
  10. ↑ "Alexander López vuelve al Olimpia" [Alexander López returns to Olimpia] (in Spanish). La Prensa. 18 January 2016.
  11. ↑ Soccerway.com – Olimpia vs Real España 0 - 0 – 31 January 2016
  12. ↑ "¡Olimpia conquista su copa número 30 en Honduras!" [Olimpia wins its 30th cup in Honduras!] (in Spanish). Diario Diez. 23 May 2016.
  13. ↑ "VIDEO: El espectacular golazo anotado por el hondureño Alexander López en Arabia Saudita" [VIDEO: The spectacular goal scored by the Honduran Alexander López in Saudi Arabia] (in Spanish). Diario Diez. 12 August 2016.
  14. ↑ Soccerway.com – Olimpia vs Vida 7 - 1 – 9 February 2017
  15. ↑ "OLIMPIA CROWNED INAUGURAL SCOTIABANK CONCACAF LEAGUE CHAMPION". concacafleague.com. 27 October 2017. Archived from the original on 8 February 2018. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  16. ↑ "Alex López ya está habilitado para jugar con Alajuelense" [Alex López is now certified to play with Alajuelense] (in Spanish). Diario Diez. 18 January 2018.
  17. ↑ "¡Amargo! Alex López recibe goleada en su debut con el Alajuelense" [Bitter! Alex López receives a thrashing in his debut with Alajuelense] (in Spanish). Diario Diez. 18 January 2018.
  18. ↑ "Afición de Alajuelense le da calor a Alex López tras su primer gol" [Alajuelense fans warm up to Alex López after his first goal] (in Spanish). Diario Diez. 11 March 2018.
  19. ↑ "Sub 17 de Honduras masacra 9–0 a Belice". Honduras 504. 8 November 2008. Archived from the original on 19 March 2012.
  20. ↑ "Suárez convoca a la Selección Sub 23 para los Juegos Olímpicos 2012" [Suárez summons the U23 team for the 2012 Olympic Games] (in Spanish). El Heraldo. 11 March 2018.
  21. ↑ "Manchester United's Alexis Sanchez scores for Chile against Honduras". Sky Sports. 21 November 2018. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  22. ↑ Alexander López at Soccerway. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  23. 1 2 "Alexander López". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
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