Union Add Forward They Were Looking For

The Union have signed Carlos Ruiz to a deal that will help to bolster the attack for the upcoming season.

Ruiz is a 31-year-old Guatemalan who most recently played for Aris Thessaloniki of the Greek Super League. His contract was mutually terminated by the Greek club, which allowed Carlos to make the move back to MLS. He has a consist track record of scoring goals in MLS, and he helped guide the LA Galaxy to an MLS Cup Championship. Along with playing for LA, he has also had stints with FC Dallas and Toronto. He has totaled 82 goals in 155 MLS appearances, including 16 postseason goals, which is the most by one player over a career. His hope is to get a few more postseason goals this year.

After leaving MLS, he played for Olimpia Asunción in Paraguay where he scored 10 goals in 18 matches, and quickly became a fan favorite. From there, he joined Mexican side Puebla FC. He scored in his first ever match for Puebla, a penalty kick, and went on to tally 9 goals in 33 matches. In the summer window of 2010, he went to play for Aris Thessaloniki. He scored again in his debut in a Europa League match against Austria, and again in the return leg which led the team to advance to the group stages. Shortly thereafter, Aris fired their head coach, and Ruiz found playing time difficult to come by.

Ruiz is known as “El Pescadito” or “The Little Fish”. He has a propensity for flopping to draw fouls, and has been criticized many times by opposing fans for this tactic.

This is the player the Union have been searching for to fill the slot that was vacated by Alejandro Moreno: The type of player to hold the ball up for Mwanga and get the team valuable free kicks in good positions. The upside to Ruiz over Moreno is that Ruiz has the propensity to score a whole lot more than Moreno did. Ruiz seems to be just the player that could put the Zolos over the top and into the playoffs. He can score. He can add helpers. He can put the team in positions to score more goals from free kicks. Also, this frees up Le Toux to move back to more of a right wing/attacking mid role. This should be the lineup for opening day and beyond…

Mondragón
Williams ———- Califf ———- Valdés ———- Harvey
Carroll ——————– Nakazawa
Le Toux ——————————————————– Mapp
Ruiz ——————— Mwanga

Personally, I like the look of this lineup. You can have Nakazawa push forward to help the attack from the middle, while having Carroll push back and help the defenders. Le Toux and Mapp can roam the midfield and move towards the center to get the ball to Ruiz and Mwanga, while having Williams and Harvey play more of a wingback position, and push up when they can (especially Williams who is more adept to going forward than going back). I think the versatility that each player brings also is an added benefit. Also, you have to feel a ton of confidence in the new guys who make up “The Spine”, as Mondragón, Valdés, Carroll, and Ruiz all bring enormous talent to the team.

Is this the piece that brings the Union the MLS Cup? It’s hard to say at this point, but it puts the U in a great position to get to the playoffs, and, as we all know from Colorado and Real Salt Lake the last two years, once you get to the playoffs anything can happen.

Here’s a little taste of “El Pescadito”…

Only 25 days until Opening Night

C’MON THE U!

Category: 2011 Season, Carlos Ruiz, Union Roster