MLS Roundup: Ruiz Traded To Galaxy

Kansas City Acquires Top Pick in Draft

January 16, 2008

By Nick Williams

Revolution nemesis Carlos Ruiz is joining David Beckham and Landon Donovan in Los Angeles, giving the Galaxy one of the most formidable offenses in Major League Soccer.

The striker was traded by FC Dallas to the Galaxy Tuesday for a 2009 second-round draft choice and an undisclosed amount of allocation money.

Ruiz, who broke the hearts of many New Englanders with his overtime goal in the 2002 MLS Cup, is the top scorer in MLS postseason history. He joins Donovan, the top scorer in U.S. National Team history, and Beckham, the English import who's first MLS season was derailed by injuries, at the front of the Galaxy attack.

Ruiz originally played for the Galaxy from 2002-05, scoring 31 goals in 68 regular-season games and adding another five tallies in six postseason tilts, none more famous than the overtime strike in the '02 MLS Cup that sent the Revolution home and gave the Galaxy their first championship.

With 11 goals, Ruiz led FC Dallas in scoring last year. He is eighth in career goals in MLS history, with 81 in 140 games.

"By completing this trade, we clear up considerable cap space and acquire additional resources to be able to continue improving our roster," FC Dallas coach Steve Morrow told the Associated Press.

In other MLS news, the Kansas City Wizards acquired the top pick in Friday's MLS draft, sending defender Nick Garcia to the expansion San Jose Earthquakes to complete the deal.

The move comes amid rumors that Wizards star forward Eddie Johnson is contemplating a move to Fulham of the English Premier League.

"I can't deny that obviously he's in talks regarding that opportunity," Wizards technical director Peter Vermes told The Associated Press on Tuesday. "We have to go into this planning that he is gone, knowing full well that he could be here."

He said the situation with Johnson "is not ruling the day, but at the same time we also have to be prudent enough to think we do have to plan for possibly the inevitable -- that he may go."

Vermes said the decision to trade Garcia was tough, but that having the first pick will give the Wizards the flexibility they need to make more moves.

Garcia, who was selected by Kansas City with the second overall pick in 2000, is the Wizards' career leader in games played.

The MLS draft is Friday in Baltimore.

Materials from the Associated Press were used in this report.

Return from MLS Roundup: Ruiz Traded To Galaxy to MLS

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