Carlos Ruíz
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| Carlos Ruiz
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| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Carlos Humberto Ruíz Gutierrez | |
| Date of birth | September 15, 1979 | |
| Place of birth | Guatemala City, Guatemala | |
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | |
| Playing position | Forward | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Los Angeles Galaxy | |
| Number | 20 | |
| Youth clubs | ||
| 1991-1995 | CSD Municipal | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1995-2002 2000 2002-2005 2005-2008 2008- |
CSD Municipal PAS Giannina (Loan) Los Angeles Galaxy FC Dallas Los Angeles Galaxy |
143 (59) 4 (0) 72 (50) 68 (31) 4 (0) |
| National team2 | ||
| 1998– | Guatemala | 72 (35) |
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1 Senior club appearances and goals |
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Carlos Ruíz (born September 15, 1979), nicknamed El Pescadito (the little fish), is a Guatemalan football forward who has played in Major League Soccer since 2002, currently a member of the Los Angeles Galaxy after being traded from FC Dallas for a 2nd Round Draft Pick and an undisclosed amount of money. He is the highest scorer in the history of the Guatemala national team tied with Juan Carlos "Pin" Plata.
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[edit] Club career
Ruíz, born in Guatemala City, Guatemala, started his footballing career in local club CSD Municipal. In 2000, he traveled to Europe to play for a short time in Greek club PAS Giannina. He returned to Municipal and then signed with the Los Angeles Galaxy in January, 2002. He was initially skeptical, telling The New York Times, “I didn’t know anything about M.L.S. or soccer in the U.S. Everything we hear about Major League Soccer is not so good… We hear that all the players come here to finish their careers.” However, he found the level to be better than he imagined, "In the beginning, I was not happy to come here. But after a couple of games and when I see the level of soccer here, I was excited to play here.”[1] Once in MLS, Ruíz shined immediately, although he also developed a big reputation as a diver with an ill temper.
In his debut season, Ruíz scored 24 goals (best in the league), leading to the MLS Cup. He was named the MLS Most Valuable Player that year. In the playoffs, he scored eight goals and added two assists, totalling 18 points and setting an MLS record for goals and points in a single postseason. In his second season, Ruíz cooled off significantly, but the forward still finished the season tied with Taylor Twellman for the league lead in goals with 15. He continued to statistically drop in 2004, scoring just 11 times. As Galaxy were knocked out on the first round each in the 2003 and the 2004 postseasons, Ruíz's playoff production also decreased, talliyng just two and one goal respectively. Ruíz had trials at English side Wolverhampton Wanderers in the 2003/04 season
In 2005, when Landon Donovan expressed his desire to come back to MLS, the Galaxy traded Ruíz to FC Dallas for the #1 allocation in the MLS picking order, so that they could acquire Donovan. Ruíz finished his year in Dallas with 11 goals and two assists. During the postseason Ruíz scored 2 goals in the second leg match against the Colorado Rapids, but FC Dallas were eliminated in penalty shots.
In February 2006 the MLS fully bought Ruíz's contract rights from his former Club Municipal and FC Dallas were able to negotiate a multi year deal. In March 2006, a bicycle kick goal he scored against DC United was selected as the Goal of the Decade in MLS through online voting.[2]
In his MLS career, Ruíz has scored 81 goals in 137 regular season matches and 15 postseason goals, holding the record for the most post-season goals in Major League Soccer history.
[edit] Return to LA
Following the conclusion of the 2007 season, Ruíz appeared to be unwilling to return to Dallas and to be holding out for a move back to the Galaxy. Earlier attempts to produce a trade faltered due to Ruíz being a grandfathered Designated player, with Galaxy already having one player in the same situation (Donovan) and, of course, David Beckham. In January 2008 FC Dallas traded Ruiz to the Galaxy for an undisclosed cash allocation and the Galaxy's natural second-round pick in next year's MLS SuperDraft. At his departure, he commented, "I did everything I could to win a championship with Dallas. Unfortunately, it didn't happen."[3]
He spoke the Galaxy to Andrea Canales: "I still think the Galaxy is the best team in the U.S. They’re the best organization. The Galaxy have always had famous players. They continue to be a team that people always follow," and added his personal relief to be on the Galaxy team, "I’m so glad I came to the Galaxy and not another team, because I would have felt like I was starting over."[4] In the season opener, however, Ruiz suffered an knee injury and was unable to play for over a month.[5]
[edit] National team
Ruíz was the focal point of the Guatemalan team in qualifying for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, leading the team in scoring as they made a surprising run to the final stage of the CONCACAF region. Overall, he has more than 70 caps for his country and is tied with Juan Carlos "El Pin" Plata's for Guatemala's all-time highest individual goalscoring mark, with 35 goals.
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[edit] Honors
[edit] Los Angeles Galaxy (2002-2005)
- - Champion (1): 2002
- - MLS Most Valuable Player: 2002
- - MLS Golden Boot (24 goals): 2002
- - MLS Golden Boot (tie)(15 goals):
- - chosen for evey international game]
[edit] Clubs
Municipal
LYN
Pas Giannina
LA Galaxy- FC Dallas
- LA Galaxy (current)
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Marcus, Jeffrey. "Little Fish in an Increasingly Competitive Pond", The New York Times Goal Blog, March 28, 2008. Retrieved on 2008-05-12.
- ^ Player bio. mlsnet.com, Major League Soccer. Retrieved on 2006-11-24.
- ^ Aparicio, Diego. "FC Dallas trades Carlos Ruiz to LA Galaxy", The Dallas Morning News, January 15, 2008. Retrieved on 2008-05-11.
- ^ Canales, Andrea. "The Return of Ruiz", soccer365.com, March 13, 2008. Retrieved on 2008-05-18.
- ^ "Carlos Ruiz undergoes knee surgery", PA Wire Services, April 1, 2008. Retrieved on 2008-05-18.
[edit] External links
- LA Galaxy Profile
- Detail of international appearances and goals - www.rsssf.com - by Luis Fernando Passo Alpuin, RSSSF
- MLSnet.com player bio
| Preceded by Alex Pineda Chacón |
Major League Soccer MVP Award 2002 |
Succeeded by Preki |
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Ruiz, Carlos |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Carlos Humberto Ruiz, Pescadito Ruiz |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Professional soccer player |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 15, 1979 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Guatemala City, Guatemala |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
