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As a native of Barcelona, Spain, Albert Ruiz faced a difficult transition upon his arrival to the United States. But as he showcases his ability to professional teams throughout the MLS Player Combine at Orlando City Stadium, he displays tremendous poise.
After a successful four-year career at Florida Gulf Coast University, he looks forward to the prospect of playing at the next level. Some peg him as a first-round pick in next week’s MLS SuperDraft, with one mock draft from Bleacher Report marking him as a 14th overall pick to Atlanta United.
At this point, Ruiz can reflect on how far he has already come.
“It’s an amazing pleasure. Being here, it’s a dream come true,” he said Saturday afternoon. “Whatever happens, I had a four-year education in the United States, I have learned another language, another culture. Whatever comes from now, it’s perfect for me. What I had in past four years is amazing. I’m enjoying every single day here, sharing this experience with tremendous players.”
Adapting to new surroundings while learning a new language and culture is a situation that some may never have to go through. For Ruiz, it was a process. What started as a difficult transition is now something that comes much more easily to the 22-year-old. When asked about the learning curve, he couldn’t help but chuckle to himself.
“At the beginning, English was really, really tough,” he said, speaking with confidence and a smile on his face. “But at the end of the day, you have to get through, you have to get used to it, you have to learn… After four years, look, I’m doing an interview now. On my first day, I couldn’t even say five words in a row.”
On the field, things click even easier. He scored 34 goals in four years at Florida Gulf Coast, with his career high of 22 coming in his junior season. That year, he was named an All-American by United Soccer Coaches and was Atlantic Sun Conference player of the year. He was limited to nine games his senior year, but still put up four goals and an assist.
In the first game of the MLS Player Combine on Saturday, he opened the scoring in the second half to help lead Team Predator to a 2-1 win over Team Nemeziz.
No matter where he ends up, Ruiz says he will treasure his time at FGCU. He values the education he received, as well as the time he got to spend with his teammates. Over the four years, he credits them with helping him adjust to life in America.
“They helped me a lot,” he said. “We all like to talk to meet new people, meet new girls and new friends, so at the end of the day, it’s natural selection. You have to speak English in order to feed into the culture and make friends.”
With his ability to perform on the field and learn off of it, Ruiz makes for an interesting professional prospect. He will find out the next step in his journey next Friday night.