Rookies Quickly Achieving Goals
They have played only 38 Major League Soccer games between them, yet two rookies are already the talk of the league.
Carlos Ruiz of the Galaxy and Taylor Twellman of the New England Revolution got to know each other only last week as fellow MLS All-Stars in their exhibition match against the U.S. national team. But they are developing a nice little personal rivalry.
They are battling for league scoring honors and will meet on the same field tonight at the Rose Bowl when the Galaxy plays host to the Revolution. Ruiz has become a fan favorite with his league-leading 16 goals, but Twellman, with one fewer goal, has two more points, an MLS-best 34.
Their success in their initial seasons has stirred talk of which will be named the league’s most valuable player. Ruiz, 22, may have an edge, having accounted for 59% of his team’s scoring.
“I don’t think that the Galaxy has had a league MVP before, but this might be the time,” Coach Sigi Schmid said. “Not only the goals he’s gotten but the percentage of goals he’s gotten for this team.”
Ruiz, a Guatemalan who signed with MLS as a Galaxy discovery pick Feb. 5, appreciates the MVP talk. He said he’d wanted to make an impact but didn’t think it would happen this quickly.
“It’s surprising but it also reflects hard work,” Ruiz said through a translator. “Nothing comes easy. I knew that I came to this league with the idea to work very hard. I’m glad that this is happening.”
Twellman, also 22, has been just as big a story for New England. After spending two years at the University of Maryland, he signed with the German club TSV 1860 Munich but spent most of his two years on the reserve squad. He declined a two-year option with the club and joined MLS as the second overall pick in this year’s SuperDraft.
Twellman and Steve Ralston have become a potent combination. Ralston leads the league with 15 assists, seven on goals by Twellman.
“He’s a little different than the forwards I’ve played with,” Ralston said. “Roy Lassiter and Mamadou [Diallo] are breakaway-type players and Taylor is a great finisher. He attacks everything in the box and he’s great on crosses. He’s done everything for us.”
Schmid says the 5-foot-9 Ruiz and 5-11 Twellman have slight differences tactically.
“The main thing is, they both thrive on scoring goals,” Schmid said. “For them, it’s like lunch. It’s something they want every day.”
Each player respects the other’s abilities. In the teams’ first meeting May 23, Ruiz and Twellman scored in the Revolution’s 3-2 victory.
Ruiz has already put the word out on his high-scoring counterpart.
“I’ve already talked to [defender] Alexi Lalas,” he said with a laugh. “I told him, ‘I don’t want any surprises. You’ve got to take care of this guy.’ ”
