Photo by ISIphotos.com
The details finally emerged on the Carlos Ruiz trade from LA to Toronto FC on Thursday and they were shocking to say the least. The LA Galaxy shipped Ruiz to Toronto FC for a pair of supplemental draft picks. Now Toronto has a former MLS MVP and the current Guatemalan national team captain for the low price of two supplemental picks and the $120K in salary they will pay Ruiz.
It seems like highway robbery until you consider that LA used the cap space to sign U.S. national team midfielder Eddie Lewis. As much as adding Lewis should help Bruce Arena’s squad, you can’t help but feel that they gave Ruiz away too cheaply. Was the market really that weak for Ruiz? Did Toronto get the steal of the year?
Some will argue that Ruiz’s temperament and moodiness could create problems in the clubhouse, which could suddenly make that bargain far less of a bargain. There have been rumors that Ruiz isn’t happy with the trade but Toronto midfielder Amado Guevara insists that Ruiz is happy to be joining him in Toronto.
It seems like a deal that helps both teams, but there is certainly room for either team to come away from the trade looking pretty bad. If Ruiz finds his MVP form of old the Galaxy could rue the decision to unload him. However, if Ruiz becomes a troublemaker, and fails to find his scoring touch, the trade could prove costly for Toronto this year.
LA will consider the trade a success of Lewis helps the Galaxy make the playoffs. However, if Edson Buddle stops scoring and Alan Gordon starts playing like the old Alan Gordon, Bruce Arena could suddenly find himself wishing he had kept ‘El Pescadito’ around. Considering what happened the last time Arena traded a former MLS MVP from Central America in order to make room for an aging U.S. national team midfielder you would think Arena would have thought twice about the deal.
What’s my take? I think Toronto made out like bandits because it’s a no-risk trade. If Ruiz is ineffective Toronto will have gambled very little. Ruiz’s contract is not guaranteed in 2009, meaning Toronto could unload him after the season if he doesn’t work out. I don’t mind the deal for LA because the Galaxy needed to do something to add Lewis and forward is a position it could afford to trade from (at least that seems to be the case right now).
So what do you think? Give us your opinion in the following poll:
This the Bruce Lee of football!!!!!!!
People should find this amusing, rumor has surfaced that hes disappeared and FO cant get a hold of him. Not a good start Carlos.
This is a steal for TFC. This guy hasn’t gotten on the this year because Buddle has been so good. He still looked mighty dangerous against USWNT. Ask Timmuh.
He’s finished and has been finished for some time. The Field turf will suck what ever life he has left, out of him. Getting by all that, He’s the dirtiest player in MLS and i wouldn’t want him on my team
If Ruiz becomes a troublemaker? Wouldn’t that be when?
I’m incapable of providing an objective opinion on the matter due to my intense antipathy for one of the parties involved (Note: not Eddie Lewis).
For the record, I don’t recall Ruiz ever being a locker room ro off field problem while with teh Galaxy. I actually recall Luis Beno writing that he had been a pretty good team player.
So, he did suck on the field, but the whole Arena wouldn’t have tolerated him thinking seems to be a stretch. Maybe he just lost his passion for the game.
I think it’s a “win” for the Galaxy because they were able to unload Ruiz. Of course the “win” wouldn’t have been necessary if Ruiz was never brought back in the 1st place….
How greasy does he look in that picture
Arena needs the picks. Did you see his face last night? He knows he has a massive rebuilding job to do.
Think Beckham’s overrated? See the Galaxy’s offensive output last night without him. No vision and no service- except for the irrepressible Mr. Klein but only from way out on the wings.
One big worry- That Eddie Lewis is completely spent as a player. Time will tell on that one but it seems he has aged 3 seasons in the last year both for Derby and country. LA does not need a 2nd choice free kick specialist who does not have the wheels left to track back and help defend.
Arena needs the picks. Did you see his face last night? He knows he has a massive rebuilding job to do.
Think Beckham’s overrated? See the Galaxy’s offensive output last night without him. No vision and no service- except for the irrepressible Mr. Klein but only from way out on the wings.
One big worry- That Eddie Lewis is completely spent as a player. Time will tell on that one but it seems he has aged 3 seasons in the last year both for Derby and country. LA does not need a 2nd choice free kick specialist who does not have the wheels left to track back and help defend.
Realy doesn’t matter what LA got in return .. .. They just needed the allocation/cap space .. .. Pescadito was never going to be the Ruiz of old, which was what we needed .. .. Too bad it didn’t work out .. ..
He might be an asshole, but he’s our asshole now. Gotta support the guys.
I hope he regains some passion, and scores lots of goals for us. And Carver has said he won’t accept any diving on his team, so perhaps he can do something about that problem too.
– Scott
keith, i really hope that was a joke! otherwise, wow.
Ruiz had next-to-no market value, so why should Toronto trade anything but supplemental draft picks and cash for him? Ruiz was coming off knee surgery when he was in the season opener and was never match fit after he returned. Given his reputation, who would want him?
Did we ever find out how big an allocation FC Dallas traded Ruiz away before the season? That would really highlight how much LA lost because of Ruiz
Quality left-sided players, and especially left backs, are a premium commodity throught the game — and moreso in MLS.
Ruiz would have been tolerated less than a nanosecond under Arena, and rightly so. For the Galaxy to jettison Ruiz, as a move in and of itself, would be a good decision. To do so in order to make way for Lewis, it is nearly inconceivable that anyone (including Ives) could consider it a bad move.
Mo needs to take a risk as we’re in real danger of missing the playoffs. He could have gone with the status quo and hope our players perform well enough to get in, or take a gamble on a talented but tempermental player. We only gave up supp. draft picks so even if he turns out to be a cancer he’ll be gone next year.
Of course I thought the Cunningham cancer rumours were nonsense, so it goes to show how much I know.
I can only imagine what will happen if sparks fly between Ruiz and Amado. Scary.
where is the button for, “Well, at least that dirty cheater is out of the USA?” Cause that’s what I want to select
The league has improved to the point where Carlos is no longer even one of the top 10 strikers. There’s a reason why guys like him and Jeff Cunningham can’t seem to stay in one place for more than a year now, and it’s because the level of play has risen to the point where defender can handle them much more easily.
I don’t think either team wins. He might score a few with TFC, but he certainly isn’t a long-term solution, and he’s likely to want out if things don’t go perfectly for him. There’s also the big risk that he and Amado won’t get along to well. For LA, they unload his salary and attitude which is good, but Eddie Lewis is nothing but a wing player, and their problems havent been related to attacking at all. It’s great that they’ll now have service from both flanks, but the defense is still horrendous.
When the Galaxy came to play in Dallas last month, my wife took one look at Ruiz and said “He got fat!” She doesn’t know much about soccer, but I think those three words pretty much sum up the current status of Ruiz.
PS
We rid of Cunny cus he cant score.
Granted Ruiz’ record as of late is just as impressive but he has got youth (to a certain extent) on his side as well as a possible partnership with Guevara where as Cunningham, well, he was just a dick that nobody liked.
Keith…not sure you read this right. Ruiz is heading to Toronto, he has been playing for L.A. You just crawl out from under a rock? 🙂
Can say im the biggest fan of the guy but hes ours now and it didnt cost us anything.
Gotta say im loving the hate on for him. The only thing ill love more is if he steps up and performs. Dude could become a god at BMO field but its up to him to do so. Dont know that Winsper can get him into shape in time but itll be fun to see if Guevara (whos been pleasant and peaceful) will have any influence over his playing and behavior.
I guess we might get a hint of it this weekend against the Revs.
Just based on the fact that Ruiz can score goals in this league, this is an okay deal for them.
Problem is I don’t know how any fan can be happy to get the dirtiest player and biggest cheater in the history of this league. Bottom line is he is a diver, cheater, filthy player who takes every cheap shot he can. I never understood how any fans could cheer for him.
Ruiz is a dirt bag, period.
Watching him kick Howard in the head this week just shows the world what a piece of crap he really is.
So glad the Red Bulls passed on him.
He will become a cancer in the LA locker room.
He will not enjoy playing second fiddle to Beckham and co!!
Another stupid trade by my stupid ass Galaxy Man do we suck we keep adding these old F***ers to our team no wonder we aint going nowhere. I hope some Euro team comes calling for Lando because this the worst place he can be right now.
It’s a wash either way. LA was tired of Ruiz’s shannigans and I’m sure he was just as tired of theirs. Ruiz could become a steal for TFC if he shows the finishing ability of the past and dumps the sulky attitude. But a have a hunch we will continue to see the Ruiz of present. He looks past it and quite frankly looks disinterested. Maybe TFC will be a breathe of fresh air for him, I don’t know. If it doesn’t work out I could see him heading back to Municipal when the season’s done. I’d be the first to say “see ya” and slam the door and lock it quickly. I’ve never been a big fan, I managed to see past his crap, but lately his attitude and antics just leave a sour taste in my mouth. He’s really become cancerous.
TFC just acquired the biggest Asshole in the league. This guy is way worse than Jeff Cunningham. At least Cunny isnt a dirty player as well as being a general cancer for a squad.
Arena think twice? no way
Arena learn from past mistakes? no way
Arena’s too arrogant and egotistical to look at his past actions and see the mistakes.
That said, I don’t think this is a risk-free trade for Toronto. If Ruiz starts playing with his typical shenanigans on the field, that could be a big distraction for a team that needs to make a play-off push. Furthermore, if Ruiz unhinges the locker room, that could be more harm than good for TFC.
I thought they got rid of Cunningham in order to do away with potential locker room issues…
Congrats to Toronto. You got a locker room cancer with 1 goal in 10 appearances, who is at least 25 pounds overweight…
…oh, and the $120k is just for the rest of the season. That’s $350k on the salary cap next year.
LA has done fine without Ruiz in the lineup. It’s when Ruud was forcing Ruiz onto the field that the offense went south for LA. And those saying LD it’s a waste for Lewis or Becks to cross the ball to LD…you need to go back and recheck a few things. I seem to recall when Lewis crossed a ball to LD and things worked out well. And Becks’ crosses to Donovan have resulted in some goals this year..off headers, too. It’s a win-win for both teams.
Good, now Americans won’t be conflicted about berating Ruiz mercilessly since he won’t be playing for the home team.
And I don’t believe Ruiz has kicked any Canadians in the face yet, so I guess it work out for Toronto, too.
Ruiz has been figured out by MLS and it’s refs. Decent pick up for TFC considering their situatuon and the money, but this is not an MVP player anymore. Not even close.
Why don’t they sign AP Chacon to? He is former MVP. It’s BFD overall.
Good riddance.
I hope ‘el pescadito mas sucio del mundo’ gets his ass kicked for the rest of the season…
Looks a lot like Cunningham part deux for TFC. No one wanted him, LA was lucky to get two crappy picks for him, my guess is they would have cut him if TFC had not picked him up.
Depends how he performs. A lot of writes call him a cancer in the locker room, so maybe LA was smarter than we think.
TFC will be happy to have traded for Ruiz, especially at that price. Ruiz will be coming out with a vengeance and will prove all naysayers wrong. I just wish TFC and the Galaxy would have had one more game this season.
Ruiz really looked bad in his time in LA. So, the possibility that he is over the hill I’m sure came up.
Plus, LA really needs to balance out its DP and overall salary situation. Beckham isn’t going anywhere. Landon may, but I doubt it.
So, unloading Ruiz for nothing would progress for LA. This is definitely a good deal if they get anyone in return.
Plus, after watching last night’s game, they need a “central” midfielder. Pires, Vagenas, Tudela, etc are easily some of the worst players in the league. Adding just an average player or two there would be huge. They should be able to address that need by freeing this space up – maybe not this year, but eventually.
i think this is a good trade for both parties. although, TFC did just get Johann Smith, Dichio is still having problems and they needed another. I hope Ruiz does horrible though. That POS. Classless. But also, LAKAIX brings up a good point about no one to cross to. LD is too short and never been good in the air. Buddle is big enough and could work out nicely. and gordon may have a good header here and there (see the chivas usa/la game last week), he should never be relied upon. what they need is a proven aerial scorer, like McBride.
Both teams win, but I think that Toronto has a bigger up-side from the deal and LA has a lesser down-side.
Ruiz and Guevara should work well together. And given that Ruiz has hardly played much this season for LA, he should be fresh enough for the final 3rd of the season. The down side is that dealing with an unhappy Ruiz is like having to call COMCAST to complain about your bill. Nobody wants to do it.
The Galaxy gets an Eddie Lewis, who is not as fast as he use to be, but should help to settle down their left side of midfield and defense. I’m not sure how much he has left in the tank though, and the MLS he’s facing today is no the same MLS he left several years ago.
Maybe the Galaxy wanted rid of him so they didn’t have to deal with the notoriously tough-bargaining Screen Actors Guild, which I hear is claiming to have exclusive jurisdiction to represent Ruiz in all future contract negotiations.
He absolutely useless, what has he done lately? with the exception of kicking Tim Howard in the head…absolutely nothing…so the Galaxy got a Steal, although Eddie Lewis isn’t that much of an upgrade, how he’s on the national team is mind boggling to me.
who cares if becks and lewis can cross, they have no one to cross too. and dont tell me that gordon can head the ball….
I bet TFC regret this after what happened in Guatemala. You know, where he DELIBERATELY KICKED TIM HOWARD IN THE FACE? Yea. Way to be, Ruiz. Class act.
I voted tfc made out like bandits but I’ve thought that before for other players and I’ve been wrong.
Get rid of a dirty player and add a classy vet like Lewis?!? Its a great deal for the Galaxy. Perhaps they could have gotten more, but I think it makes LA a better team, with more options for the future without Ruiz’s contract.
Depends – are you going to get a Ruiz playing like his paycheck depends on it? Or are you going to get a guy sulking that he was banished from the ‘glamour’ team, forced to play on turf, and ‘accidentally’ kicks goalkeepers in the head?
Did Toronto get the steal of the year?
In a word (or six) Yes!