HERRIMAN, Utah (Sunday, November 1, 2020) – Real Salt Lake has signed midfielder Pablo Ruiz to a contract extension, the club announced today. Under terms of the new agreement, Ruiz will remain with the club through the 2025 season.
“Pablo is an immensely talented young player and has established himself as a foundational piece of our roster in 2020,” RSL General Manager Elliot Fall said. “He is a player who has shown his ability to impact matches at a high-level right now, but has almost limitless potential to become even more. His development over the last 18 months has been fantastic to watch and we are thrilled to finalize this agreement and ensure RSL is the club where Pablo will take the next steps in his career.”
Originally signed prior to the 2018 season, Ruiz burst into the lineup in 2020 after an impressive showing in the MLS Is Back Tournament and has one goal and one assist in 16 appearances, 13 of which have come as a starter. Currently, he has started in eight consecutive matches. In three seasons with RSL, he has 18 starts in 28 appearances.
“For me it means a lot to sign another contract with Real Salt Lake and I am very happy to see my bond with the club extended,” Ruiz said. “First of all I want to thank the fans who have given me a lot of affection; my teammates who have given helped me a lot; the coaching staff who have given me a lot of confidence so that today I can have a new bond with the club; and finally I am very happy to be able to continue playing for Real Salt Lake.”
Ruiz, 21, transferred to Real Salt Lake at 19 years old and made 12 appearances in his first MLS season. He also played one match in the MLS Cup Playoffs and one in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, along with five matches on loan with Real Monarchs in the USL. In 2019, he played six matches with the Monarchs before going on loan to FC Pinzgau Saalfelden, scoring 11 goals in 15 matches for the third division Austrian club. Upon his return, he worked his way into the lineup for RSL and has become a mainstay in the midfield.
“Pablo’s improvements in his professionalism, his defending and his fitness have been commendable,” RSL Head Coach Freddy Juarez said. “Those aspects compliment his strengths and make him a more complete player, which makes him an important part of the team going forward.”
Prior to signing with RSL, Ruiz played one season for San Luis in Chile and made 10 appearances for the Argentina U-17 National Team, scoring two goals.
Real Salt Lake is currently tenth in the Western Conference standings at 5-8-7 (22 points) entering the final two matches of the regular season. RSL will meet the LA Galaxy on Sunday at Dignity Health Sports Park before returning to Rio Tinto Stadium for the regular season finale on November 8.
Transaction: Real Salt Lake re-signed midfielder Pablo Ruiz on November 1, 2020.
