TUKWILA, Wash. – Is newly-signed striker Raul Ruidiaz the spark the Seattle Sounders need to save their 2018 season?
That’s a question that will be answered over the course of the next few months, but Sounders general manager Garth Lagerwey certainly seems to think so.
Ruidiaz, a Peruvian international fresh off a stint with his country at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, was officially unveiled as Seattle’s newest Designated Player signing at Starfire Sports Complex on Friday following weeks of rumors connecting the sides. He joins the Sounders from Monarcas Morelia of Liga MX, where he has scored 40 goals over the past two seasons.
“I think he’s going to help lead us to the playoffs,” Lagerwey told reporters following Ruidiaz’s first training session with the team on Friday. “Two of the last three summers we’ve added franchise-level players: Nicolas Lodeiro and Raul Ruidiaz. And we’re going to build our club around them for the next couple years."
It’s no secret the Sounders have struggled mightily to score this season, a problem that was drastically compounded when forward Jordan Morris suffered a season-ending ACL tear in Concacaf Champions League play in February. Seattle have netted just 11 times in 14 matches so far in 2018, the lowest total in all of MLS.
In Ruidiaz, however, Lagerwey says Seattle have filled the biggest void on the roster that has led to that issue. The 27-year-old is a proven finisher capable of putting up gaudy numbers, the likes of which Lagerwey said the club hasn’t had since former star striker Obafemi Martins departed for the Chinese Super League in 2016.
Ruidiaz meets Sounders midfielder Cristian Roldan | Courtesy of Seattle Sounders
“This is, to some degree, providing a finishing connection to the circuit,” Lagerwey said. “We have all the pieces. We have the chance creation, we have a solid defense. What we need is an elite finisher. And certainly that need was magnified when Jordan went out.
“So, you have this ability now – if you want to put a team on a blank piece of canvas and start drawing – you have an elite playmaker [Lodeiro] and you’ve got an elite goalscorer. That’s a pretty good foundation to start around. …With a player like Raul, that solves our Achilles heel once we get back to full strength.”
Sounders sporting director Chris Henderson has been keeping tabs on Ruidiaz for several seasons due to his presence in Liga MX and with Peru, but ended up honing in on him more closely after taking a scouting trip to watch Peruvian national team camp during the spring.
“He checked all the boxes,” Henderson said. “Obviously, his playing record speaks for itself and I think he’s going to translate really well to our league.”
While Henderson echoed Lagerwey’s sentiment that Ruidiaz fills the club’s biggest current need, he also indicated that Seattle might not be done making moves as they look to turn around their 3-8-3 start to the season and make a playoff push.
“I’d like us to be able to add another player who’s considered to start every game – a TAM-level player,” Henderson said. “We’ve narrowed it down to a list of guys and we’ve spent hundreds of hours watching these guys and narrowing down the list, and I think the consensus is there on one or two guys, and now it’s down to whether we can get the negotiations done or not.”
