The surprising foreign players coming to Peru soccer are not only in League 1. Although there is an important hierarchical difference between first and second, there are some interesting reinforcements that stand out in League 2 without a screen. The case of Enzo Borges and his return to the Uruguayan league after being the Comerciantes Unidos’ top scorer is a good example, apart from the fact that he had previously played in the first division with Defensor La Bocana and Juan Aurich .
In this sense, the Colombians Carlos Augusto Lopez is in some ways even more surprising. The striker arrived at Peruvian football aged 22 and with few credentials, as one of the Unión Huaral’s foreigners for the 2017 season. Aside from goalkeeper Jonathan Barona, López was the only foreigner to stand out in the squad. The most surprising thing, however, was that he signed for Millonarios the following year.
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Carlos Augusto López and his move from Union Huaral to Millionaires
Carlos Augusto López was born on August 1, 1994 in Risaralda, Colombia. Unión Huaral was his first team from abroad and at the same time the beginning of his professional career. Previously he only participated in an amateur tournament called Copa Ciudad Pereira with Dosquebradas Machicho. In the historical archive of the championship, López appears as a five-goal goalscorer alongside two other footballers.
Aside from a few games where he played on the wings, allowing Ecuadorian Janio Panchano to come on as 9, Carlos López was always the benchmark in attack and the undisputed starter in Dulio Cisneros’ usual 4-3-2 1. The Colombian played 2,277 minutes in 28 games in which he scored 24 goals and provided three assists. He even managed to score two poker points that season (Alfredo Salinas on Day 20 and Sport Victoria on Day 22).
Carlos López was the Unión Huaral’s best player of 2017, after Raziel García. Photo: DeChalaca
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The striker’s impressive numbers caught the attention of millionarios from his country, a team that would play for the 2017 Copa Libertadores title of the finalizing tournament. The signing came as a surprise as it was one of the most successful teams in Colombia and especially because he comes from a side in Peru’s second division that didn’t fight for the title.
What happened to Carlos Augusto Lopez?
Carlos López was announced as the new reinforcement for Millonarios on February 2, 2018. In the blues dressing room he met Óscar Barreto, Anier Figueroa, Roberto Ovelar and Janeiler Rivas, old acquaintances of Peruvian football. He only made his debut on March 23 when he came to a 1-1 draw against Alianza Petrolera on Day 8 of the Apertura tournament.
Carlos López was loaned to Millonarios until December 2019. Photo: Millionarios
However, López was unable to establish himself as a regular in the two years he was in the thousands. He was always a substitute except for some matches of the 2019 Colombia Cup. He made 19 appearances and provided two assists, although he was not mainly used as a centre-forward. He was only able to play 45 minutes in the 2-1 defeat by Deportivo Lara in Group 7 of the Copa Libertadores.
This is how Carlos López returned to Unión Huaral in 2020 after completing his stint with Millonarios. He did great and finished as the team’s top scorer with seven goals in nine games despite always playing on the right flank. In 2021 he couldn’t repeat that but was again among the best and had good numbers as a shooter on the wing (six goals and nine assists). Today, already converted to the right winger, he is a regular at Los Chankas.
Carlos Augusto López is the undisputed starter at Los Chankas in League 2. Photo: Los Chankas CYC
In which teams did Carlos Lopez play?
- Huaral Union (Peru)
- millionaires
- University Alliance (Peru)
- Los Chankas CYC (Peru)