Pasión y Orgullo

The crest of the Mexico’s national soccer teams features the words ‘Pasión’ and ‘Orgullo’ prominently. The Mexican Football Federation (FMF) has figuratively trademarked #pasiónyorgullo for use across its social media platforms.

‘Passion and Pride’ is the English translation.

Pasión y orgullo. It describes what Texas A&M senior Jimena López brings with her on the pitch 365 days a year. She plays with passion and pride whether it is a championship match or the night cap session during two-a-days.

“Jimena’s passion for the game is unmatched,” Aggie head coach G Guerrieri said. “There are times the staff has headed home 30 or 40 minutes after training was over and she is still out there working on getting better. We have to drag her off the field so she will have something left for games.”

Growing up in Mexico City, López’s love for the game began at an early age. She started playing early on, around 3 or 4 years old. She enjoyed a variety of sports but as she was nearing her teens, she realized soccer was the path to take.

“Since I was young, sports were always something I identified with,” López said. “I think when I was around 12 or 13, I thought ‘I want to do this seriously.’”

She starred for Instituto Mexicano Regina, leading the squad to Copa Giro titles in 2006 and 2012. She was the top scorer at the 2012 Copa Giro, logging seven goals in three matches at one of the biggest tournaments in Mexico City. 

At that point, López started to draw the attention of FMF. She participated in the 2014 Summer Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China, earning a bronze medal with Mexico’s U-15 National Team.

A desire to become a better soccer player resulted in a plot twist in López’s life that eventually led to Aggieland. During her prep sophomore year, she went to boarding school in Austin, Texas, and played club soccer with Lone Star.

“I was playing at St. Stephen’s for Bob Murphy,” López said. “He’s really good friends with Phil [Stephenson] and G. He asked them to take a look at me and they had me in for a visit and I loved it.”

Coach Murphy pitched López as a raw player who would thrive in the training environment Texas A&M would provide.

“On film she was pretty raw,” Texas A&M Associate Head Coach Phil Stephenson said. “There wasn’t much of an athlete, but you could see the athlete underneath. So, I knew I could work with that. She wanted to work and at A&M she has a bunch of coaches that love working with her.”

López made an immediate impact in Aggieland. She scored goals in each of her first two matches, picking up SEC Freshman of the Week honors. In her first career contest, she notched a golden goal in the 94th minute, gathering a ball from 25 yards out and weaving through three defenders before finding a clearing at the edge of the penalty box, left of the arc, launching a missile into the right side netting for the game winner in a 1-0 victory over Pepperdine. The next match, she displayed her exemplary penalty kick savvy in a 2-0 triumph against San Diego.

In her rookie campaign, López appeared in 20 matches, including 10 starts. She ended the season with seven points on three goals and one assist.

“Winning the SEC Championship my freshman year was one of the most amazing experiences,” López said. “It’s something I’ll always remember.”

Her sophomore season she showed steady progress, playing in 21 matches, including 18 starts. She tallied nine points on three goals and three assists.

As a junior, López made an epic leap and earned SEC Midfielder of the Year recognition. She ranked second in the nation and set a Texas A&M single-season record with 15 assists. Lopez also ranked second on the squad with nine goals and 33 points. 

“There are a lot of people who work incredibly hard,” Stephenson said. “But Jimena is one of the rare ones. She goes home and thinks about soccer. She loves the hard work that it takes to be great. Of all the players I have coached, she definitely falls into the top three or four when it comes to the hardest working player. You could see that hard work pay off with those results last season.”

A sign she’s a full-fledged red ass Aggie, López ranks bludgeoning Texas in last year’s NCAA Tournament as another highlight.

“The amount of people that turned up for the game was awesome,” López said. “There is nothing better than beating the hell outta Texas and doing it in our house in front of all those fans was amazing.”

During her time in Aggieland, López has lived a dual life, balancing her time with the Maroon & White with stints abroad with her national team. 

In 2018, López was one of El Tri’s stars as they won the CONCACAF U20 Championship (aka Gold Cup) in Couva, Trinidad & Tobago. She was successful in her penalty kick as Mexico bested the United States in a shootout, 4-2, to claim the title. She was named to the Gold Cup Best XI by the Technical Study Group, identified as the tournament’s top left back. In Mexico’s five matches at the Gold Cup, she played 485 of 510 minutes, tallying one goal and one assist. She was successful on a penalty kick in both of Mexico’s shootouts.

“Winning the CONCACAF title was one of my proudest moments,” López said. “I think any player dreams of playing for their national team. Winning a championship for your country is such a special experience.”

López’s improvement didn’t go unnoticed by her national team coaches. In 2019, she earned a spot with Mexico’s senior national team. She started all five games for El Tri as they finished fifth at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.

“I have grown up watching all these amazing Mexican players and legends, and now I get to call them my teammates,” López beamed. “It is amazing being able to have that experience and play internationally. It is such a blessing to see how soccer has opened up so many doors for me with traveling and meeting people.”

López’s two worlds collided in one of her favorite Ellis Field experiences. In March 2018, the Mexico U20 National Team spent a week practicing in College Station, culminating in an exhibition match against the Aggies. In the match, Jimena would play for Mexico in front of over 3,000 fans.

“That was a weird, because I was playing against my own team,” López said. “But it was a really great experience. My national team teammates absolutely loved it. They were so surprised about how many people would come out to see a friendly between a national team and a college.” 

The memories of Ellis Field is one of the things from Texas A&M that López will always cherish.

“It’s amazing,” López said. “It is awesome to play out there. The grass is perfect. The 12th Man never disappoints and playing with the support from the 12th Man is incomparable.”

The marriage between López’s time with the Aggies and the Mexican national team has made her a much better player for both squads.

“There is a level of confidence you get when you step on the field going against the U.S. National Team,” Stephenson said. “Then you come back in with that level of confidence and you carry yourself in a more ‘professional’ manner in the way you train. And we’re in communication with her coaches on the national team. I have asked what they see and what they would like her to work on. You always want to be a good steward of a national team player.”

It’s impossible to pinpoint what part of López’s game has improved the most as she has refined her skills across the board.

“She wasn’t the fastest kid and she didn’t like that,” Stephenson said. “She put in an incredible amount of work and now she has become one of the fastest players on the team. There were a couple of things she didn’t do particularly well, but we watched film and worked on them. Every time she comes out to the field, she is looking to fix the flaws and strengthen her strengths.”

“I have been able to improve a lot of aspects of my game,” López said. “I think I am definitely a lot faster and stronger, and a smarter player overall. I feel confident that I can play to my advantages. I am not the most physical player out there, but I do consider myself to be smart and I can take advantage of spaces. I read the game very well, so I think that overall plays to the advantage of my game.”

Possessing an infectious personality, López earned team captain status each of the last two seasons. The Aggie staff considers her to be another coach.

“The great thing about Jimena is she brings other people with her,” Stephenson said. “She drags, cajoles or whatever it may be, to not have to train alone.”

Part of the joy of watching López play is seeing the hard work pay off in matches – time and time again.

“There have been multiple times where Jimena has scored on a free kick,” Guerrieri said. “You see where she scored from and you can remember all the times she took 20 free kicks from almost that same spot during her extra work after practice, perfecting her craft.”

Hard work encompasses López’s entire life. She excels in the classroom as much as she does on the field. The psychology major earned United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-America Second Team recognition in 2019.

López’s passion and pride has provided her with what is expected to be a long soccer career after leaving Aggieland. In addition to her spot on the Mexican national team, Lopez is on the radar for professional leagues in Mexico, the United States and across Europe.

“I am open to a lot of things and I am waiting to see where the Lord takes me,” López said. “Whether an opportunity arises in Europe or the NWSL (National Women’s Soccer League), I would be up for the challenge and ready for it.”

Wherever she winds up, López will play with Pasión y Orgullo.