The Sounders have officially announced the first team signing of defender Antino Lopez on a contract that’s valid through the 2026 season, including club options for the 2027 mini-season and the 2027/28 season. Lopez has already made 5 appearances for the first team via short-team loans from the Defiance, with four of those opportunities coming in 2026.
Head Coach Brian Schmetzer said after the signing announcement that “Antino has earned this contract by stepping up in the moments he’s been called upon,” via the Sounders press release. Schmetzer continued and praised Antino’s work rate: “whether it was with Tacoma Defiance or in opportunities with our group, he’s shown the work rate and quality that we value as a staff. He’s continued to grow within our system and earn the trust of his teammates and coaches. We’re excited to see how he’ll continue to develop and help the team moving forward.”
The first team promotion comes after a stellar performance at San Jose, where Lopez made a crucial goal-line clearance to preserve all three points from Seattle. Earlier in the same week, Lopez played 90 minutes as a very early substitute in the team’s road 3-0 CONCACAF Champions Cup leg 1 victory at Vancouver Whitecaps.
Craig Waibel tied Lopez’s first team signing with the strong development system within the club: “Tino has continued to grow in our system and showed impressive consistency and quality to earn this next step. His progression is another example of the player development pathway we’ve built at this club, where young players are provided with the best staff in the country to achieve their best.”
The future is now Waibel’s next focus, with aims to discover the club’s next first team promotion, where he said that “we are now looking forward to watching the First Team staff assist in the next phase of growth and development within the club.”
Lopez was a 2024 MLS Superdraft Draftee from Duke University, where he started 65 out of 66 games in his college career. After being drafted, Lopez signed for the Tacoma Defiance and has since made 41 appearances. Lopez is now the eighth player from the Sounders academy and the 13th from the Tacoma Defiance to make the step into the first team.
Cover photo: Sounders FC Communications
