Unthinkable: Pablo Ruiz out 'several weeks' for RSL with knee injury
Unthinkable: Pablo Ruiz out 'several weeks' for RSL with knee injury
Where does Real Salt Lake turn without its dynamic Argentine midfielder with the lethal left foot?
Injuries are a part of the game, but that doesn’t make them pleasant.
When Real Salt Lake midfielder Pablo Ruiz went down early during the club’s 4-0 loss to Los Angeles FC in an elimination game Tuesday night of the Leagues Cup, the sideline gasp. The fans in the stands at BMO Stadium went quiet. The collective hearts of RSL fans watching at home dropped.
The Argentine midfielder with the lethal left foot stayed down for a lengthy period of time while both athletic training staffs worked on his right knee. Ruiz was clearly in pain, and more so as he was helped off the pitch, limping and pointing to the outside of his limb.
A day later, after returning home to the Salt Lake area and undergoing an MRI, Ruiz had an answer: a torn meniscus, both a small blessing but also a disappointment.
“Therefore, I will be out of the field for several weeks recovering 100% to to be able to return with the team much stronger,” Ruiz wrote on Instagram, in both Spanish and English. “Today I have a very great motivation, which is my son and wife, and for them I will fight and I will return to the field of play stronger than ever. In advance, I want to thank everyone for the messages they have given me, sent encouragement for my recovery. I appreciate your support for me in advance thank you very much ❤️.”
Update: Real Salt Lake released a statement after Ruiz underwent surgery to repair a complex tear of the cartilage in his right knee Friday, Aug. 11.
“This procedure repairs a severely-damaged meniscus in Pablo’s right knee,” RSL senior director of athlete health and performance Theron Enns said. “The exact timeline for his return to the field will be determined later as his rehabilitation progresses, but typically this type of repair requires around four to six months to allow the necessary healing and return to full participation. Pablo has already begun his rehabilitation with our medical staff and we will update his progress as we enter the latter months of the season.”
Among the players commenting on Ruiz’s Instagram post were RSL captain Damir Kreilach, who said “we can’t wait to have you on the field again,” and former teammate Justin Meram, who simply stated, “Prayers, hermano.”
Ruiz gave no timetable for his recovery, except to say he will be out “several weeks” while he recovers and rehabilitates. Typical recovery time for such an injury can range from a few weeks to several months, depending on the severity of the tear and whether surgery is required to mend the meniscus.
Without speculating too much, it’s sufficient to say Ruiz will at least a few games of the final dozen weeks or so of the MLS regular season. And that leaves RSL with a significant hole in its midfield.
After Tuesday’s elimination game, RSL has 11 days off until returning to MLS play Aug. 20 against the LA Galaxy. A few days later, the Salt Lake side will travel to Houston for the semifinals of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup before a stretch of the final nine games of the season.
So where does Real Salt Lake manager Pablo Mastroeni turn without his dynamic midfield presence.
Midfield tactics
Mastroeni’s 4-4-2 formation relies on a double-pivot midfield, with at least one player who is able to stretch the field by flipping the ball into attacking spaces quickly and getting the ball out wide before crossing back into goal-scoring position.
The 24-year-old midfielder officially has four goals and six assists in 17 matches of his sixth season with RSL. But his influence on the attack has meant much more.
One can argue — and RSL public relations pro Trey Fitz-Gerald has — that Ruiz would’ve had at least a secondary assist on the last 3-4 goals during Leagues Cup play since MLS and Liga MX went on hiatus for the World Cup-style interleague competition.
Even if it isn’t noted in the box score, Ruiz’s ability to flip the field has been vital for Salt Lake’s attack. And now, Mastroeni’s side doesn’t have a direct replacement.
Where to next?
Perhaps the most apparent sub involves substituting one South American midfielder for another in U-22 initiative signing Nelson Palacio.
The former Atletico Nacional standout in his native Colombia has played sparingly for RSL since arriving just ahead of the MLS secondary transfer window, playing just 94 total minutes in MLS play across two matches.
Palacio started and played 79 minutes of a 2-2 draw with Sporting Kansas City on July 12, but other than a 69-minute appearance for Real Monarchs against Crystal Palace’s academy side during the MLS NEXT Pro Invitational, he’s been exclusively used off the bench — including 87 total minutes in four Leagues Cup games.
In that game in Kansas City, Palacio nearly bagged a goal — a laser from distance in the 24th minute — that was RSL’s first shot on goal of the eventual draw.
Here’s how Maestroeni lined up on that evening in change, which included an appearance by rising goalkeeper Gavin Beavers, as well.
Obviously, RSL’s multimillion-dollar striker Chicho Arango would be slotted into a similar formation, when healthy and available — and possibly alongside his former LAFC teammate Danny Musovski, who is having a breakout season with nine goals across all competitions for Salt Lake.
But that leaves the possibility of Palacio playing with either Jasper Loffelsend or, perhaps more likely, Braian Ojeda, the recently purchased midfielder on a permanent acquisition from Nottingham Forest.
Palacio was known as a ball-winner in Colombia, and his rough exterior often hid a lethal boot that could flipped the field for Nacional. Could he find that game again with RSL?
Both Loffelsend and Ojeda are dug-in kind of players, though Ojeda has proven to be a bit more of a deep-lying playmaker — and Loffelsend has certainly had his moments in the attack, as well. It’s unlikely, though, that the two would play together, leaving Palacio as the other pairing in the double-pivot midfield.
Pairing Ojeda with Loffelsend might also free up the Paraguayan international into more of a playmaker role, so it remains an option.
It should also be noted that veteran Scott Caldwell, who has made just four appearances (with three starts) in MLS play this year, is available, as is rookie Emeka Eneli, though the former do-everything standout at Cornell has spent the majority of his recent minutes at outside back.
Diego Luna, as well, played the double-pivot role during preseason in Maestroeni’s system — at a time when RSL got the most out of Ojeda at his current position. Could the partnership work during the regular season, even if it sent Luna further back than where he’s positioned himself of late at the No. 10 or on the left wing?
While no one can replace Ruiz — for all of their positives, none of the above mentioned players have the same lethal left foot as the Argentine — RSL has options during the final 10 games of the regular season, should it need as much time.
How will Maestroeni decide to use those options?
What do you think? If you’re assuming Ojeda operates in the double-pivot, who would you pair with him in Ruiz’s absence? Leave your suggestions in the comments below.