The last few days have been good for FC Dallas forward Carlos Ruiz. On Saturday at Houston, "El Pescadito" saw his first action in more than a month, coming into the match as a second-half substitute in the 64th minute and showing flashes of the player that had a team-leading eight goals and five assists before being injured.
The injury occurred July 8 in a match at Pizza Hut Park against the New York Red Bulls, when Ruiz suffered a grade two sprain of his right hamstring in the 14th minute and had to be carted off the field. He hadn't played since his injury and last week in training, was clearly anxious to return to the field.
On Wednesday, he will play for the Guatemalan national team when they face Haiti in an international friendly at Tropical Park Stadium in Miami. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET.
Ruiz is going to South Florida with the full blessing of FCD head coach Colin Clarke.
"He has my permission to get involved," Clarke said. "He came through close to 30 minutes on Saturday fine and was good again (Monday) morning (in training). They will try to take advantage and get him 45 minutes on Wednesday. We don't play until Sunday, which is a good thing. He's ready to go and game time is what he needs now to get himself sharp."
The match will mark the first for Guatemala under new head coach Hernan Dario Gomez, who has coached in four World Cups, most recently for Ecuador in 2002. Ruiz last played for his country on Feb. 19 in Frisco when they faced the U.S. national team.
"I'm excited to see the new coach, the new assistants and my new teammates," Ruiz said. "This is the first game for him. He wants to talk to us and get us to understand what he wants. It's going to be great. There are a lot of expectations for the team from the Guatemalan people."
The four-time MLS All-Star won't be the only league player in the match. Playing for Haiti will be New York Red Bulls rookie striker Jarrod Laventure, who has one goal and one assist in limited action this year, along with Colorado Rapids forward Fabrice Noel.
Even though Ruiz is a seasoned veteran when it comes to international play, the talented striker is still honored to be playing for his country.
"It's motivation," Ruiz said. "It's my national team and I know that people in my country live for soccer. We have a long road, but it is the dream of everyone in Guatemala to see them play in their first World Cup."
Having the game in Miami also makes perfect sense to Ruiz.
"The game is in Miami because a lot of people from my country live there," he said. "I think it's a good first game for our new coach. We all need to play well so we will get called to play in the next game."
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
