Ruiz Leads Galaxy Into Title Game
Since Carlos Ruiz is already leading Major League Soccer in scoring this season, why shouldn’t the Galaxy rookie forward have the same level of success in the U.S. Open Cup?
Ruiz was involved in three of the Galaxy’s four goals Tuesday night to lead his team to a 4-1 victory over the Dallas Burn in a U.S. Open Cup semifinal match at Cal State Fullerton’s Titan Stadium.
And his goal and two assists in front of 3,132 gave Ruiz nine points in the tournament to tie him with Johnny Menyongar of the A-League’s Minnesota Thunder for the tourney lead.
“It was an emotional time before the game and we knew we had to have a strong effort on the field,” said Ruiz, who has 41 points and 20 goals in MLS play. “We were ready to win it on the field.”
The Galaxy, the defending U.S. Open Cup champion, is riding an eight-game winning streak in the tournament and goalkeeper Matt Reis has given up one goal in three games.
Reis had six saves against Dallas and, until surrendering an 89th minute goal to Dallas forward Ronald Cerritos, he had not given up a goal in 280 minutes of Open Cup play this year.
In attempting to become the first Open Cup champion to repeat since the New York Pancyprian-Freedoms of the Cosmopolitan Soccer League in 1982-83 and the eighth team to win consecutive titles since the tournament began in 1914, the Galaxy will meet either the Kansas City Wizards or Columbus Crew--who play their semifinal next Tuesday--in the title match on Oct. 26 or 27.
If Columbus wins, it would probably play host to the title game. Because the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs play at Arrowhead Stadium that weekend, the Galaxy would get the home game if the Wizards win.
Having advanced to the Open Cup title game, the Galaxy is guaranteed at least $50,000, to be split evenly among team members, as the tournament runners-up receive that much and the champions get $100,000.
The Galaxy’s first goal came in the 11th minute when Ruiz received a short pass from Sasha Victorine in the middle of the field. Ruiz won the ball, spun around and fired a hard shot from 30 yards out that went into the upper right corner.
The Galaxy went up 2-0 six minutes later.
Ezra Hendrickson headed a Victorine pass to Ruiz, who left a slow rolling ball for an onrushing Mauricio Cienfuegos. The playmaking midfielder’s low line drive of a shot from 17 yards out went into the bottom right corner of the net.
The Galaxy’s third goal came in the 34th minute when Ruiz led Cobi Jones on the left side and Jones, Dallas defender Ryan Suarez and goalkeeper Matt Jordan converged on the ball in the goalkeeper’s box. Suarez got a foot on the ball but his tackle resulted in the ball ricocheting off Jones and into the goal.
Simon Elliott finished off the Burn when he converted a penalty kick in the 81st minute after Cienfuegos was pulled down in the box by Paul Broome.
Paul Gutierrez
Keane Has Surgery
Manchester United captain Roy Keane underwent hip surgery and won’t play for about six weeks, during which time he will serve a suspension.
Keane, 31, missed United’s 1-0 win against Middlesbrough on Tuesday to have the operation. His recovery is set to coincide with a suspension after his red card for elbowing Sunderland’s Jason McAteer last Saturday.
“We expect him to be out six weeks,” United Coach Sir Alex Ferguson told Sky Sports. “We had thought it was going to be three months.”
Keane was sent home from Ireland’s World Cup team eight days before the tournament after a falling out with Coach Mick McCarthy.
Ronaldo Not Ready
Ronaldo, who has been dogged by knee problems and muscle strains the last two years, can’t yet begin training with Real Madrid because he has a thigh muscle injury.
The 25-year-old Brazilian, who joined European champion Real from Inter Milan on Saturday for $46.3 million, told a news conference he’ll be able to exercise again “in the coming days.”
Doctors have blamed the injuries on nerves.
