As the Final Five get ready for the last week of training before the winner of Sueño MLS Chivas USA Wants You! is announced, for one of these five dreamers, it is also a time of reflection.
"I was watching TV when my mom heard about Sueño MLS on the radio and she called me immediately," said Carlos Ruiz of Lawndale, California. "I signed up online that night and I was on the waiting list."
Two weeks later, Ruiz was faced with an unexpected choice.
"I was in Uruguay training with a club team when I was called," said the ambitious midfielder. "I had gotten scheduled to try out that Saturday [February 17th] but luckily my brother rescheduled the try out for me for Monday while my dad and I took the first flight back."
It was then when Ruiz chose to give up a great opportunity in Latin America, a region known for its passion for soccer, in exchanged for another perhaps greater opportunity, 20 minutes from home at the Home Depot Center in Carson California where two of the 13 teams Major League Soccer teams reside.
"I defiantly want to make it, I'm playing every game as if it were my last," said Ruiz. "I've been through all this and just want to win it, I've done everything in my power and I truly hope it works out."
For Ruiz this journey has not been about just making it through to each round as the pressure continued to build, but also about responding to unforeseen circumstances.
During his practice session with the Chivas USA U-19 team last Monday night, Ruiz suffered an injury to the groin, although minor, this has proven to be yet another test within an already challenging situation.
"I was doing great on Monday [March 12] but then I got hurt," said the player.
"Then on Wednesday I had to sit out," he added. "If this happened it was for a reason and we'll see what happens this Monday."
Driven by his strong will and the support of his family, Ruiz has spent the last week, icing and resting in preparation for this Monday and the following five days of anticipation for the announcement of the winner.
As he arrives to practice this Monday Ruiz will be playing as he did in the beginning; "as if it were his last."
"My whole life has been about teams and try outs," said Ruiz. "My parents have always supported me and motivated me, even when I didn't make it, I could never ask for more."
