(Sports Network) - Toronto FC acquired forward Carlos Ruiz from the Los Angeles Galaxy in exchange for first and second-round picks in the 2009 Major League Soccer Supplemental Draft and salary budget considerations, the teams announced on Thursday. "We're looking forward to bringing in another quality striker," TFC manager and director of soccer Mo Johnston said. "We've now got [Chad] Barrett and [Danny] Dichio who is on the road to getting healthier and this will also help bring young Ibee [Abdus Ibrahim] along properly. We're very excited to get Ruiz in here - he holds the ball up well and is a clinical finisher."

Ruiz, 28, leaves L.A. as the second leading scorer in Galaxy history with 50 regular season goals for the club. The Guatemalan forward is the all-time leader in postseason goals in MLS, and is currently eighth on the all-time goals list with 82.

In 2002 Ruiz joined MLS and in his first season scored 24 goals and added one assist in 26 games with the Galaxy. In 2005 Ruiz was traded to FC Dallas for a second-round draft pick and an undisclosed amount of money. After spending three seasons in Texas, he returned to the Galaxy before this season. Ruiz injured his knee in the season opener keeping him out of the lineup for the better part of a month. He has only seen spot duty with the Galaxy since.

Internationally, Ruiz has been a member of the Guatemalan national team since 1998 and is their current leading goal scorer. He has over 70 caps for his country.

Earlier this week, presumably in anticipation for the acquisition of Ruiz, Toronto waived midfielder Laurent Robert, which cleared an international roster spot.

The 33-year-old midfielder joined the club April 2 as a free agent and started 16 of 17 games. He logged 1,364 minutes while scoring one goal and three assists.



Copyright 2008 The Sports Network
All rights reserved