Charlotte FC midfielder Sergio Ruiz loaned to Spanish Second Division before MLS move
Charlotte FC announced Thursday that its only signed player, Sergio Ruiz, will join Spanish club Las Palmas FC through the 2021 season on loan. He will arrive in Charlotte for training camp in January 2022 in advance of Charlotte’s inaugural season.
The midfielder was recruited from Racing Santander in the Spanish Second Division, so he will remain playing in the same league, also called LaLiga2, for 18 months until transitioning to Major League Soccer in Charlotte.
“After carefully considering our options in Europe, we decided it was a perfect fit for Sergio to join Las Palmas,” Charlotte FC sporting director Zoran Krneta said in a statement. “LaLiga2 is a strong league that Sergio knows well and one that suits his playing style.”
After the team announced in July that its opening season would be pushed back a year due to COVID-19, Krneta said the club ideally wanted to loan Ruiz to a European club, but noted the strength of the Spanish Second Division. Charlotte FC president Tom Glick said that there were originally six clubs interested in signing Ruiz, but the number had risen to more than a dozen after he signed with Charlotte, which opened more opportunities for a loan destination.
“We are just waiting to find the best club in terms of the coach who wants him the most, therefore, he will play the most,” Krneta said in late-July. “And also the club that will suit Sergio’s style of play as well.”
Krneta described the 25-year-old’s game as dynamic, saying Ruiz has the ability to play “anything across the midfield three.” The club’s sporting director also highlighted the importance of Ruiz’ leadership capabilities.
“Las Palmas is a big club intent on returning to LaLiga, and they view Sergio as a key player in achieving that goal,” Krneta said in a statement. “We look forward to welcoming Sergio back to Charlotte ahead of our 2022 inaugural season.”
Ruiz joined Racing Santander from the team’s reserve squad in 2016. During the 2018-19 season, Ruiz notched six goals and seven assists for his club, which was promoted to the Spanish Second Division for the 2019-20 season in which Ruiz served as a team captain and played 31 times.
He is joining a more well-established club in the same league with Las Palmas. Although recently a middle-of-the-pack finisher in its division, the club outranks Racing in both time in the higher LaLiga2 division and wins. Las Palmas notched a 14-15-13 record for the most recent regular season, while Racing went 5-18-19, so the move to Las Palmas can be seen as an upgrade for Ruiz.
The international transfer will help make up the “spine” of Charlotte’s roster, Krneta said. The club has targeted the league’s secondary transfer window, which opened mid-August and closes October 29, to announce more player signings.
This story was originally published September 3, 2020 at 1:48 PM.
