Sergio Ruiz entered the history books yesterday, becoming the first player to sign for Charlotte MLS.
A transfer from Racing de Santander in the Spanish Segunda División, the purchase is a shrewd signing by the newest MLS side, purchasing a top player from a club that has suffered relegation to a lower division. With Racing Santander needing to cut salaries and cut ties with their better players, Charlotte’s move gives them a talented midfielder who’s entering his prime.
This scout report offers an in-depth look at Charlotte MLS’ historic first signing, showcasing his usage at Racing Santander and hitting the four pillars of player development. Ruiz’s signing also gives an indication of the club’s direction under Zoran Krneta, the sporting director, and Thomas Schaling, scouting director. A brief tactical analysis will offer some hints into what the future holds for the Charlotte MLS and the Mint City Collective.
How was Ruiz used at Racing Santander?
As Schaling mentioned in an interview, Ruiz is experienced in two and three-man midfield. This past season at Racing Santander, the formation of choice was a 4-2-3-1 with Ruiz operating as one of the two defensive midfielders. Of the two pivot players, he was generally the more attack-oriented of the two, contributing to his side with box-to-box play. When Racing opted for another formation, it was usually a 4-4-2 or 5-4-1, leaving Ruiz to fill one of the two central midfield roles.
As his positional heat map indicates, he does a lot of his work in the half-spaces but also offers a strong presence in the central channel. Rather than starting centrally, he often uses his starting point in the half-spaces to create larger spaces in the central channel.
Very comfortable playing left-centre or right-centre, Ruiz offers Charlotte MLS a great deal of flexibility in the midfield. Though his strongest role is playing as a box-to-box midfielder, he can also function as a defensive midfielder or 8/10 hybrid in a standard 4-3-3.
Technical ability
Watching Ruiz play, it’s abundantly clear that he enjoys a high tempo, short passing philosophy. His two most prominent technical traits are his abilities to beat players on the dribble and keeping possession with excellent one and two touch play.
