Wasatch Soccer Sentinel
There was a point earlier this year in which my faith in Pablo Ruiz was essentially nonexistent. He was a player whose trajectory, for me, had leveled off. I was concerned about his ability to defend and to meaningfully contribute to this team.
Of course, that's all ridiculous now, isn't it? Ruiz has been one of Real Salt Lake's most effective figures — or, he was, prior to his injury, which has unfortunately sapped the team of a great player. But that wasn't always the case, and it wasn't that long ago that I would have been a bit startled at the idea.
See, Ruiz was easily dribbled past. He was the most dribbled-past player in the league, at least for a time. He didn't seem to have the qualities that we needed in the midfield, and RSL coach Pablo Mastroeni's central midfield — just two players, mind — demanded a player whose influence could be felt. I don't know that I entirely blamed Ruiz for this, but certainly, he played a role. (In fact, I'm probably on record — especially if you count a podcast as on record, which it absolutely is — that I thought the midfield setup was poor under Mastroeni and was in dire need of adjustment. I've backed down from that position somewhat, largely owing to results. I hold the same philosophy, though.)
