MIAMI, Florida – Footballers never stop; more so when it comes to improving themselves in any situation possible, no matter where the ball takes them. Mexico DF Jimena Lopez knows what it’s like to fight, her next challenge being in Iceland, signing with UMF Selfoss for this upcoming season.
The 24-year-old landed in Iceland on loan from NWSL side OL Reign, the team that picked her in the 2021 NWSL College Draft from Texas A&M University. However, this is not the first time that Lopez will cross the ocean to play.
After being drafted, Lopez chose to begin her professional football career in Spain, in first division team SD Eibar. She was a key piece for the team's coach in the time she was playing on Spanish soil, winning a place in the starting XI and helping the team stay in the first division.
After almost a year, the North American side called her back, allowing her to start training with legends of the game like Megan Rapinoe. Her experience in Spain helped her get ready for one of the most competitive leagues in the world, showing how she could help her team in any situation.
But club football is not the only team where she is a difference maker. Lopez has been a part of the Mexican Women’s National Team setup since an early age, being in the squad of the U-15, U17, U-20 and Senior Team, debuting with the Senior Team last one in 2019. The latest official competition in which she represented El Tricolor was in the 2022 Concacaf Women’s Championship in Monterrey.
Action between Sofia Huerta of the USA and Jimena Lopez of Mexico at the Concacaf W at the Universitario Stadium on July 11, 2022.
Mexico did not qualify for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup from the CWC, but Lopez has lifted a trophy with Mexico, when she was a part of the U-20 squad that won the Concacaf Women’s Under-20 Championship back in 2018. Her international career with Mexico has helped her make a name for herself not only in Concacaf, but in the entire world as a defender to keep an eye on.
Now, the Mexican is ready to start the season with her new team, UMF Selfoss of the Besta Deild Kvenna, the top tier division for women’s football in Iceland, that is just kicking off this weekend.
She will have the chance to help her teammates achieve every goal they have established for this upcoming tournament, showing why she is an important player in every team she plays, no matter the country.
