Carlos Ruiz (Guatemalan footballer)
Carlos Humberto Ruiz Gutiérrez (born 15 September 1979), initially nicknamed El Pescadito or "The Little Fish" but later became El Pescado or "The Fish" (even by Spanish-speakers), is a Guatemalan former professional footballer who played as a striker. A product of CSD Municipal's youth academy, Ruiz played for five MLS clubs (Los Angeles Galaxy, FC Dallas, Toronto FC, Philadelphia Union, and D.C. United), scoring 88 goals in 182 MLS regular-season matches and 16 goals in the post-season, which is the second most post-season goals in MLS history. In 2002, he was named the MLS's Most Valuable Player of the season.
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Ruiz playing for FC Dallas in 2007 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Carlos Humberto Ruíz Gutiérrez | ||
| Date of birth | 15 September 1979 | ||
| Place of birth | Guatemala City, Guatemala | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1991–1995 | Municipal | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1995–2002 | Municipal | 143 | (69) |
| 2001 | → PAS Giannina (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2002–2004 | LA Galaxy | 72 | (50) |
| 2005–2007 | FC Dallas | 68 | (31) |
| 2008 | LA Galaxy | 10 | (1) |
| 2008 | Toronto FC | 5 | (0) |
| 2009 | Olimpia | 18 | (10) |
| 2009–2010 | Puebla | 33 | (9) |
| 2010–2011 | Aris | 16 | (4) |
| 2011 | Philadelphia Union | 14 | (6) |
| 2011–2012 | Veracruz | 23 | (10) |
| 2013 | D.C. United | 13 | (0) |
| 2014–2016 | Municipal | 86 | (72) |
| 2016 | FC Dallas | 3 | (1) |
| Total | 506 | (234) | |
| International career | |||
| 1998–2016 | Guatemala | 133 | (68) |
| 2000 | Guatemala (futsal) | 4 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
He was a member of the Guatemalan national team from 1998 to 2016. He is regarded to be the greatest Guatemalan footballer of all time. He served as captain, is the player with the most caps and is the all-time top scorer of the Guatemala national team. He played in five World Cup qualification phases and in September 2016, he became the all-time top scorer in World Cup qualification with 39 goals, although his country never qualified for the tournament.
In 2019, Ruiz worked for a television channel in Miami.