Knee woes continue to follow TFC's Ruiz
By Morgan Campbell (Toronto Star)
Eight days after having the fluid drained from his chronically sore right knee, Toronto FC striker Carlos Ruiz spent another practice on the sidelines yesterday.
Ruiz, acquired late in August to bolster TFC's offence, has had knee operations in each of the past two seasons. And an MRI on Tuesday also revealed a misaligned kneecap, a relatively minor issue.
TFC head coach John Carver, suspended from tomorrow's home game against Houston (3:30 p.m., CBC) as the result of his ejection last Saturday, says Ruiz can correct the problem quickly with proper rehab. However, the 28-year-old striker will still miss the game against the Dynamo.
And if the pain in Ruiz' knee persists, Carver will sideline him even longer, especially with Danny Dichio, who missed most of the summer while recovering from a concussion, fit enough to play long minutes.
"(Ruiz) won't play again until he's 100 per cent," Carver said.
But it's not clear whether Ruiz, a former league MVP with the L.A. Galaxy, has even had a fully healthy knee since TFC acquired him.
His knee problems are well known around Major League Soccer. Last season, with FC Dallas, he had surgery to repair a torn meniscus. This past April, a sprained MCL necessitated another operation and more than two months of rehab.
Since then, he has had healthy stretches. Over the past six weeks, he has played in three World Cup qualifiers with the Guatemalan national team, scoring twice in a recent game against Cuba.
Carver says he didn't know Ruiz' knee problems would resurface until last week, when his right knee ballooned with fluid, forcing him to miss a practice and limiting his playing time against Kansas City.
"According to our reports, (he was healthy)," Carver said after yesterday's practice.
"I listen to what people say. If the player says he's right, you have to trust that decision."
MLS rules require all players involved in trades to pass a physical before they can play for their new teams, and Toronto was satisfied with the results of a medical exam Ruiz underwent before his Aug. 31 debut against Chivas USA.
While TFC know they'll play tomorrow without Carver or Ruiz, they are uncertain about rookie defender Julius James, who sat out yesterday's practice with a sore hamstring.
Meanwhile, a hectic schedule is forcing Houston to shuttle regulars in and out of its rotation. Between MLS matches and CONCACAF Champions League and their quest for a third straight MLS Cup, the Dynamo will play four consecutive road games within 12 days, each one in a different country.
On Tuesday, Toronto native and league all-star Dwayne De Rosario was one of three starters to come off the bench in Houston's 0-0 tie on the road against Panamanian club San Francisco.
After visiting BMO Field tomorrow, the Dynamos will travel to Mexico to play Pumas in another Champions League game next Tuesday, before returning to the U.S. for a road game against the Colorado Rapids.
The Dynamo lead the Western Division with 39 points, while TFC's 27 points place them last in the 14-team league, but still only six points away from a playoff berth.
