As every fan of Sacramento Republic FC is no doubt aware, Rodrigo Lopez is not returning for the 2016 season. Rather than signing another contract with the Republic, which according to an article by The Sacramento Bee’s Bill Patterson would have made him the highest paid player in USL, Lopez has looked to get a chance at moving forward with his career and play at a higher level. Lopez talked to ICS after the announcement about his decision to leave Sacramento, saying it was a difficult one but one that was right for his career.
With the question of whether or not Lopez was leaving Sacramento answered by his announcement last Thursday, the question of where he was headed naturally came next.
In an interview the day after his announcement, Lopez told ICS that he is just waiting for now. “There’s a couple options, I’ve just got to figure out which one is the best for me” he said. While he could not name potential teams or locations, Lopez did rule out the possibility of going elsewhere in the USL, saying that he ” would never want to play for any USL team other than Sacramento.”
It is safe to say that just about everyone familiar with Sacramento Republic FC is undoubtedly waiting with anticipation to see where Lopez will go, including the man himself. “As much as everyone wants to know, I want to know as well,” he told ICS. “I want to know where I’ll be playing next. I want to go somewhere that I’ll get a good chance to play and to prove myself.”
Although he is waiting to see what comes next for him, Lopez is by no means idle, as this recent tweet from Davis Enterprise’s Evan Ream shows.
Sporting Kansas City would certainly fall under the heading of a higher level of play, as would any team in MLS or in Mexico’s Liga MX. However, since both of those leagues are still in season it would be, in Lopez’s words, “kinda hard to figure something out now.”
In the meantime, Lopez said he plans to try and take the offseason slow and spend time with his family.
Lopez may not know with certainty where he will be playing in 2016, but is is a near guarantee that Sacramento Republic fans will be watching and cheering him on from afar, regardless of where he ends up.
Make sure to follow ICS on Twitter and “like” us on Facebook.
