OL Reign defender Jimena López loaned to UMF Selfoss

OL Reign defender Jimena López has been loaned to Icelandic club UMF Selfoss through June, the team announced on Friday evening. Selfoss plays in the Besta deild kvenna, the top division in Iceland, where the 2023 season kicks off next month. This will be López’s second time playing in Europe, after starting her professional career in 2021 at SD Eibar in Spain before joining the Reign in June of that year. Terms of the loan were not disclosed.

“Jimena has been an amazing teammate for our club, and we’re excited for her to embrace this new opportunity in Iceland,” said OL Reign head coach Laura Harvey in a club release. “As a coaching staff, we’re confident that her quality and skills will develop through her experience playing in another highly competitive league.”

In comments to media ahead of the club’s game at Washington Spirit, Harvey further explained that the team was looking to find López an opportunity to get consistent minutes on the field to further her development, and they felt that Selfoss was a good fit in terms of tactical identity and opportunity for competitive games.

López is slated to return to the Reign around the same time as many other players will be departing for pre-World Cup camps. In other roster news, Harvey indicated that Luany’s visa has been approved and she is expected to join up with the club on Sunday.