July 17, 2011. That was the last time Carlos Ruiz - El Pescadito - scored a Major League Soccer goal until his 89th-minute game-winner on Sunday night.
“I'm so glad to be here,” Ruiz said after his first MLS minutes of the year. “This is a miracle from God. I'm a believer and after 37 years and [to] still [be] playing here is unbelievable. It's a great sensation helping my teammates and playing for the best team in Major League Soccer.”
The veteran has spent his last two seasons playing in his native Guatemala, and nearing the end of his career was brought back to FC Dallas last month to do one thing, according to Oscar Pareja: score goals.
At 37, he’s proven he’s still got the touch - scoring 5 goals in his final game with the Guatemalan National Team in early September. And his perfect first-touch tip past Stefan Frei on the end of yet another beautiful ball from Mauro Diaz sent his club back to the top of the Supporters’ Shield standings, one point from securing their second trophy on the year.
“Carlos is a natural goal scorer,” Pareja said after the win. “We went away from putting him in the excessive training or fitness training. We know that Carlos came in to help us in moments like this so we put him in front of the goal in training, just saving his energy for those key moments and tonight was a key example.”
“I was waiting for my opportunity,” Ruiz said. “I was trying to keep my level up because the level here is different. I'm coming from playing in the last two years of my career in Guatemala and it is so different. I'm here to help. Maybe sometimes I'm not going to play, maybe sometimes I'm going to play a little bit, but the whole reason for being here is to try to help from the outside and the inside when I have the opportunity to play.”