Marcos Lopez could play in Peru friendly on Mar. 27

CONMEBOL, the South American confederation, postponed their full slate of World Cup qualifiers for the March FIFA window, due to concerns clubs would not release players because of quarantine rules in various countries surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.

As a result, while the qualifiers are off, it sounds like at least some of the countries in South America are planning to play games anyway, such as Peru, who will reportedly play Chile in a friendly in Tampa on Mar. 27.

The catch, at least out of the Peruvian press, is that Peru coach Ricardo Gareca could only select players based in Peru, Mexico or MLS for the friendly. In that case, chances are quite high that San Jose Earthquakes defender Marcos Lopez, who has already broken through with the full senior team for Peru, will be called up by Gareca.

It’s worth remembering that the Earthquakes’ season doesn’t kick off until Apr. 16, so assuming he remains healthy, this jaunt to Tampa would be good in helping him get fitness ahead of the season, and he wouldn’t miss any competitive games for San Jose.

In the meantime, Lopez has joined up with the Earthquakes during their training camp and is getting ready for the season ahead. The Peru-Chile friendly is not yet officially confirmed but it sounds like it’s on track and we’ll see if Lopez gets the nod, as expected.

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