After two weeks of the kind of frustrating deliberations that recalled the failed signing of countryman Juan Sebastian Veron by D.C. United, the Kansas City Wizards finally signed Argentine striker Claudio Lopez as the club’s first Designated Player. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the contract is for one year. Lopez, a veteran of the 1998 and 2002 World Cups with Argentina, signs as a free agent shortly after leaving Avellaneda’s Racing Club.
On signing for the Wizards, Lopez revealed, “I wanted to finish my career at Racing, but I could not obtain what I was hoping for.” Last year, Lopez returned to Racing in 2007, where he had played for four seasons earlier in his career before moving to Valencia in 1996. However, he struggled to hold down a starting spot and soon left the club. “At Racing, every day one has to coexist with problems not related to soccer,” Lopez said. “I do not know whose fault it is, but for a long time the club has been this way.”
Negotiations with the Wizards began several months ago, but Lopez finally signed a contract this past week while the MLS team was training in Buenos Aires. “These will be my last years in futbol,” the 33-year-old said.