Did Somebody Order Fish?

It was only a matter of time before Carlos Ruiz ended up in a Los Angeles Galaxy uniform again. One of the worst-kept secrets in Major League Soccer, the deal was made official today, with the G's ponying up a 2nd-round draft pick in 2009 and allocation money for the Guatemalan forward known as El Pescadito. The Galaxy had tried several times over the past 18 months to re-acquire Ruiz, but for one reason or another, the deal fell apart each time.He is one of three players who made more than the league maximum salary in 2007 but does not count as a DP - as is also the case with new teammate Landon Donovan. His production was well down last season at just 7 goals and 2 assists, but Ruiz still averages 13.5 goals per season.

"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. "I have a big responsibility now because the Galaxy's goal is to win every game, so I want to play hard and score as many goals as possible and win the MLS Cup again."

Ruiz was with the Galaxy for their MLS Cup run in 2002, the same year that he was named MVP of the league. He played for Los Angeles from 2002-2004, contributing 61 goals and 10 assists in 83 games before being shipped to FC Dallas before the start of the 2005 season. For his career, he boasts 97 goals and 19 assists in 157 games played.

"We are very pleased to be bringing a proven goal scorer and veteran leader in Carlos Ruiz back to Los Angeles," L.A. Director of Soccer Paul Bravo said. "Carlos is an experienced forward who has averaged better than a goal every two games during his MLS career and we believe that he will be a tremendous asset to our attack."