Born in Peru, Raul Ruidiaz spent the majority of his career in his home continent. After playing for Mexican side Morelia, the Seattle Sounders acquired him in the summer transfer window of 2018 as a Designated Player. Despite debuting in July, he ended up winning the Sounders Golden Boot, scoring 10 goals in just over 1,000 minutes. The Peruvian striker scored his first goal in his first start, lacing one into the bottom corner in San Jose. The scoring never stopped from there for Ruidiaz.
He scored his first goal at home after getting in on the break against the LA Galaxy. In a September match against Vancouver, he poked one home, then made it a brace with a couple of stepovers. He scored another brace against Colorado, cleaning up a mess inside the area, before finishing off a nice feed from Raul Ruidiaz. On Decision Day, it was another brace against the San Jose Earthquakes. He got his body in front of a Cristian Roldan cross, then doubled his tally with a stoppage time match winner. After finishing second in the West, Ruidiaz did everything in his power to keep Seattle afloat in a series with Portland. In leg one, he introduced himself and roofed one just 10 minutes in. In leg two, he scored the opener, then saved Seattle's season in stoppage time with a smashing volley that forced extra time. In the deciding penalty shootout, Ruidiaz stayed composed, but the rest of his team did not and they were sent home.
After a successful debut season, Ruidiaz increased his goal tally to 11 goals in 2019. He scored in the season opener against FC Cincinnati. In game two, a ball fell for him in the box for a simple finish. In game three, he capped off a win against Chicago. A Brad Smith delivery gave him another goal in May. He scored one of his most memorable goals in Rave Green against Atlanta United in July. He chested the ball down, lobbed Miles Robinson with the outside of his boot, before smashing it straight into the back of the net right as it hit the turf. Ruidiaz sprinted to a ball prior to Steve Clark's arrival, allowing him to roll it into an empty net. He picked out the bottom corner at the Galaxy. Seattle took the Cascadia Cup with a clean Ruidiaz finish at Providence Park. He scored against the Galaxy, a goal in three straight games, and his second goal against the Galaxy in that span.
The Seattle Sounders took the second seed in the Western Conference. In round one, they snuck past FC Dallas in a wild win, in which Raul Ruidiaz scored the first of many goals during a 4-3 victory. They beat Real Salt Lake as well. It was LAFC in the Western Conference Final up next. Ruidiaz would not be denied after going down 1-0 to the number one seed. He picked out the bottom corner from outside the box to clinch the victory, and send the Supporters' Shield winners home. The Sounders advanced to MLS Cup, their first with their new No. 9. In the big match, he dusted Chris Mavinga and chipped Quentin Westberg to claim the silverware. Seattle won the cup with Ruidiaz as the playoff's top scorer.
In 2020, Raul Ruidiaz was one of the standout peformers during the shortended season. Ruidiaz put one in from the spot against Columbus in March, an MLS Cup preview prior to the pandemic. He helped Seattle win a group stage match against Vancouver in the MLS is Back Tournament. A flick off the crossbar bounced off Steve Clark and in against Portland. A cheeky chip sealed the match and gave Ruidiaz a brace against Seattle's rivals. He did the double against San Jose once again, as a part of a historic 7-1 thrashing. He scored the second and fifth of the blowout. He continued to terrorize the Earthquakes by scoring a Decision Day goal against them, his 12th on the year. In the first round of the playoffs, Ruidiaz got ahold of one to defeat LAFC. Minnesota United choked a 2-0 lead to Seattle as Ruidaiz tied it up at 89'. They won and advanced to MLS Cup against the Columbus Crew. It was all Columbus, the Crew took the final 3-0. Ruidiaz was named to the 2020 MLS Best XI.
On the first day of 2021, Raul Ruidiaz kicked the season off with a brace against Minnesota. He defeated the enemy Portland Timbers with a penalty kick. He forced a rebound in on the road against the Galaxy. His darting run earned an easy finish against the Houston Dynamo. The Sounders were unbeaten through their first 13 matches. They lost the very next match to end the streak. In a 6-2 pure domination of Portland, Ruidiaz struck twice more. He let fly a missile of a free kick into the upper 90. A rebound on a Lodeiro free kick gave him another. Ruidiaz made his first MLS All-Star Team. His shot against FC Dallas was an absolute stunner, as his shot the crossbar, then off the post and in. It seems like almost every brace he's had came against San Jose, and that was no different in 2021. He scored from the spot on Decision Day with a Paneka. Real Salt Lake upset them in the first round. Ruidiaz was named to the Best XI for a second straight year. He scored a career-high 17 goals.
In 2022, the Seattle Sounders struggled, in MLS play. For the first time, Ruidiaz went under double digit goals after playing just about half the games, though he was just one off. Seattle's focus was squarely on the CONCACAF Champions League. He scored against NYCFC and sent them crashing out of the CCL. The Sounders faced off with Pumas UNAM with a chance to become the first MLS champion of the tournament. At the stroke of halftime, Ruidiaz opened the scoring of the final's second leg. In the 80th minute, he sent Lumen Field into pandemonium with a clincher. Ruidiaz was plenty effective in the return to MLS play after wining the trophy, scoring 5 times in as many games. He scored a brace against Vancouver during a 4-0 victory. He was again named an MLS All-Star, and scored a goal in the match against Liga MX. In September he found himself at the double again versus Austin FC, he has never quite hit a hat trick for Seattle. He continued to struggle with hamstring injuries, though.
In 2023, Raul Ruidiaz played just over 1,000 mintues, his lowest total since joining the Sounders. He fought through various injuries that held him out for extended periods of time. He turned home his first goal of the year against expansion side St. Louis. Despite losing 4-1 to Portland, he still found his way onto the scoresheet in the rivalry. He curled one perfectly into the back of the net from downtown Charlotte. He was not quite done in the match, adding another at the back post on a Joao Paulo cross. After not scoring a goal for three months, he still found a way to show up and score in the match against Portland, scoring via header. A back injury saw him miss time at the end of the year. He returned for the playoffs, but made just seven and 21 mintue cameos against FC Dallas, while going as an unused sub in game three. The 33-year-old striker will look to play a role in Seattle's Western Conference Semis matchup wtih LAFC en route to another potential MLS Cup. Raul Ruidiaz has done nothing but score goals since arriving in MLS, ranking him at #25.
YEAR | CLUB | MINUTES | GOALS | ASSISTS |
2023 | SEA | 1,055 | 5 | 1 |
2022 | SEA | 1,306 | 9 | 2 |
2021 | SEA | 2,146 | 17 | 1 |
2020 | SEA | 1,427 | 12 | 4 |
2019 | SEA | 1,793 | 11 | 3 |
2018 | SEA | 1,098 | 10 | 1 |
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