Benji Lopez

U.S. U18 Men’s National Team forward Benji Lopez tweeted on Monday that he signed a Homegrown Player contract with Real Salt Lake. He is the third player to sign a Homegrown contract from the Utah club’s residential academy in Arizona. Goalkeeper Lalo Fernandez and midfielder Nico Muniz, who has since been released by the club, were the first two. Carlos Salcedo and Donny Toia also signed with the Utah club after stints in Arizona.

The Homegrown Player Rule was introduced in 2008 as a means for MLS clubs to sign youth players to professional contracts after fulfilling a league mandated set of rules while playing with the club’s youth academy.

The situation for Lopez is more complicated than normal signings because he hails from San Diego, California, which is outside of Real Salt Lake's territories - Utah and Arizona. RSL placed a territory exception on Lopez in order to get him on the club's list of Homegrown prospects. Lopez was one of the five exceptions the club was entitled to in 2013.

Lopez has been with Real Salt Lake since 2011 when he scored seven goals in 19 games with the club’s U16 side. During the 2012-13 season, he had 14 goals in 17 games, but missed part of the season with a knee injury.

The 18-year-old attacker was verbally committed to Syracuse(m), the recent Atlantic Coast Conference addition, but changed his plans in the spring as the professional route seemed more likely for his immediate future. 

Real Salt Lake gains the addition of a young striker who stands at five-foot-10. Lopez will need some time adjusting to the physicality of MLS, but finds himself in one of the top spots in the league to make that transition with head coach Jason Kreis, third on MLS’ regular season goal scoring charts, and Costa Rican international Alvaro Saborio helping the youngster make the leap to the professional level. 

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