TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Loan expiration
Eduardo "Chofis" Lopez has returned to Liga MX's Chivas de Guadalajara after his 18-month loan to the San Jose Earthquakes expired, the MLS club announced Monday.
The midfielder's exit opens a Designated Player spot for San Jose as the Secondary Transfer Window, which runs from July 7 to Aug. 4, gets underway. San Jose's two other DPs are winger Cristian Espinoza and midfielder Jamiro Monteiro.
The 27-year-old was originally brought in for the 2021 campaign under previous head coach Matias Almeyda, who departed the club in mid-April.
"We would like to thank Chofis for his contributions over the past year and a half," San Jose general manager Chris Leitch said in a release. "He had a very successful 2021 season and was an important player for us, but unfortunately injuries have prevented him from making a similar impact in 2022. We appreciate all his hard work and wish him the best of luck moving forward."
Lopez concludes his time in San Jose with 13 goals and four assists in 36 regular-season games (34 starts). He was limited to four appearances in 2022, though was named MLS Player of the Month for September last year.
The move sends Lopez back to Chivas, where he developed through their youth academy before making a first-team debut in 2013, eventually putting up 24 goals and 12 assists in 191 appearances before being loaned to San Jose.
As Chofis departs, San Jose end MLS Week 18 sitting 13th in the Western Conference standings. They're six points back of an Audi MLS Cup Playoffs spot, gradually improving under interim manager Alex Covelo.
