Ruiz lost to Galaxy for at least six weeks

This week in soccer CORNER KICKS

By Grahame L. Jones, Times Staff Writer

Five things happening around the world:

1 The Galaxy will be without striker Carlos Ruiz for at least six weeks and possibly longer after undergoing surgery Tuesday for what the Major League Soccer team described as “a slight tear of the meniscus in his right knee.”

Ruiz, who returned to Los Angeles in the off-season to lead the attack ahead of David Beckham and Landon Donovan, also suffered a sprained ligament in the same knee during the Galaxy’s 4-0 loss to the Colorado Rapids on Saturday night in Denver.

The injuries occurred when Ruiz, 28, was kicked in the knee by midfielder Ciaran O’Brien late in the game after O’Brien had been fouled. O’Brien was ejected because of the crude tackle.

Ruiz underwent surgery on the same knee in November and the Galaxy had been more or less protecting him in the weeks leading up to Saturday’s season opener, allowing him time to fully regain his fitness.

The Galaxy’s all-time leading goal scorer will be sidelined at least five and possibly six MLS games and might not return until Los Angeles plays at Dallas on May 18.

Unless Coach Ruud Gullit changes his formation and puts Donovan up front, the goal-scoring duties will fall to Edson Buddle, Alan Gordon or rookie Bryan Jordan.

2If Major League Soccer games this season appear to have an edge to them, the reason might have been explained in Salt Lake City on Saturday.

There were 19 fouls called during Real Salt Lake’s 1-1 tie with the Chicago Fire but there could have been twice as many. Instead, referee Terry Vaughn was restrained.

Real Salt Lake Coach Jason Kreis told the Daily Utah Chronicle that “MLS is trying to respond to what the coaches are telling them. The coaches and the players would like there to be more flow out there and less little niggling calls.”

The players will have to adapt, Kreis said.

“They’re used to there being a whistle every five or 10 seconds,” he said. “It will be a little bit of a learning process.”

3Gullit, faced with turning his team around before Thursday night’s game against San Jose, can probably relate to the remarks made by Toronto FC Coach John Carver, who also was shut out in his MLS debut.

“I don’t have to stand here like a rocket scientist and tell you what we need because I think it’s pretty obvious what we need,” Carver said. “We need creative players who can put the ball in the back of the net.”

4Mexico women’s national team tonight begins its quest to qualify for the Beijing Olympics, something Coach Leo Cuellar’s squad accomplished in 2004 when it made it to Athens.

Participating in the game against Jamaica in Juarez, Mexico, are several players from the U.S., including goalkeeper Sophia Perez of the San Diego Sunwaves club, defenders Leticia Villalpando of UC Riverside and Natalie Vintio of the University of San Diego, and midfielders Rebecca Mendoza of Notre Dame and Angelica Figueroa of the University of the Pacific.

Also on the roster are former UCLA forward Iris Mora and former Cal State Fullerton defender Marlene Sandoval.

5For all the fuss being made about Hugo Sanchez and his dismissal as Mexico’s coach 16 months into his tenure, one thing seems to have been forgotten.

Mexico finished second in the Gold Cup and third in the Copa America last year. There is not another coach in the CONCACAF region who would have been fired after achieving that much.

Sanchez’s mistake, apart from opening his mouth too often, was to take charge of Mexico’s would-be Olympic team. He could easily have left that to someone else and still be employed today.