By Rick Kennedy April 20, 2006
Late in the first half of the April 8 game against Real Salt Lake, Dallas native Kenny Cooper uses every inch of his 6-foot-3 frame to get his head on a long ball and flick it up the field toward a sprinting Carlos Ruiz. The Guatemalan star known as El Pescadito tracks it down, but a defender is instantly in his face, pushing him off balance and away from the goal. Somehow, as he falls toward the stands, Ruiz senses that Cooper has broken free behind him and nonchalantly taps the ball backward with his heel, straight onto Cooper's foot. The crowd in Frisco is roaring even before Cooper's strike ties the game at one apiece. The display of surgical precision can be considered a Dr. Jekyll...
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Carlos Ruiz was dubbed "El Pescado," or "The Fish," at
age 16, his first year as a professional. After he scored a
spectacular goal for his club, CSD Municipal, legendary
team sportscaster Marlon "Pirulo" Puente came up with
the nickname. Ruiz's mother once asked friends why
Pirulo chose the name; one responded, "Because he's so
slippery," while another said, "Didn't they tell you? It's
because his mouth is so fat!"