Rumors that Carlos Ruiz was unhappy about his trade from the L.A. Galaxy to Toronto FC have been greatly exaggerated. The Guatemalan striker told Dean McNulty that he is fine with the move, and has long wanted to work in tandem with TFC's Honduran playmaker, Amado Guevara.
"Toronto is a fantastic city," he insisted. "I wanted to come here." Although the trade had surprised him, he was not disappointed by it. "I was a little bit surprised, because I was back in Guatemala playing for my country against the U.S., and that was all that was on my mind," he said. "But I talked to my agent when I got back to L.A., and there were other offers -- I think from Chivas, Salt Lake and Cleveland [sic] -- but I told him I wanted to play in Toronto."
Guevara's presence on the team was a lure, with Ruiz claiming that he'd tried to have the player signed by FC Dallas when he was with the Texan team. "Of course, it was good that Amado was already here," Ruiz said. "He is a very skilled player and I wanted to play with him." Toronto coach John Carver was meanwhile delighted with Ruiz's skill level and attitude: "He has given a lift to the whole team. I could see it the last few days of training. Everybody seems to have an extra bounce in their step."
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