Gold Cup run ends for Ruiz, Guatemala: A fan’s reaction

Posted Tuesday, June 21, 2011 by YAHOO Sport

Despite a strong performance, Guatemala fell short of its quest to reach the Gold Cup semifinals. That means the run is over for Carlos Ruiz, a member of the Philadelphia Union.

However, as a Union fan, I'm impressed with the way Ruiz played. He scored an early goal in the match against Mexico, keeping the team in the entire game. In the end, Mexico won 2-1. But Ruiz is a winner, too.

Ruiz was arguably the best player for his country in the Gold Cup. He scored a key goal in the first round that helped Guatemala get enough of a goal differential to advance to the quarterfinals. It was a tall order facing Mexico, a team that has more Gold Cup titles than any other country. But Ruiz scored early in the first half to put Guatemala on the right track. This game was down to the wire as Mexico never found a comfort zone. Despite the defeat, Ruiz and his countrymen should be happy with what they were able to do in the tournament.

Now that Ruiz's run in the Gold Cup is over, he will return to the Union. The team could use him as they failed to score a goal over the weekend. The Union are playing on Wednesday, June 22 at home, but Ruiz might not be playing that game due to rest. But he should be ready for the Saturday, June 25 game at PPL Park. As soon as Ruiz does appear, he deserves a huge round of applause from the Union and their fans. I will be happy to reward him with that. His performance helped his country perform will in the Gold Cup, and he should be proud of that. That pride should help the former MVP perform well for the Union the rest of the way.