LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- The Los Angeles Galaxy on Tuesday re-acquired veteran forward Carlos Ruiz - the eighth-leading scorer in MLS history - in a trade with FC Dallas. Ruiz, 28, began his career with the Galaxy and helped lead them to their first MLS Cup title in 2002.
In his six seasons in the MLS, he has scored 81 goals in 140 regular-season games. Dallas received Los Angeles' second-round pick in the 2009 draft along with allocation money. "We are very pleased to be bringing a proven goal scorer and veteran leader in Carlos Ruiz back to Los Angeles," said Paul Bravo, the Galaxy's director of soccer. "We believe that he will be a tremendous asset to our attack." Ruiz holds the MLS record for postseason goals, scoring 16 in 17 games.
In his first season in the MLS in 2002, he registered a league-leading 24 goals en route to earning Most Valuable Player honors. The native of Guatemala also led the Galaxy in scoring in 2003 and 2004 before being traded to Dallas before the start of the 2005 campaign. "It means a lot to play for the Galaxy again because I feel like I am going back home and I am very excited about that," Ruiz said.
Ruiz spent the last three seasons in Dallas, scoring 31 goals in 68 games and another five in six postseason matches. Ruiz also has made 72 appearances for the Guatemalan national team.