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Sandy • A noted thorn in the side of every Major League Soccer club he didn't play for in his 10 years in the league, Carlos Ruiz, at 36, still has enough left in the tank to make a game-changing play.

So says former teammate and RSL coach Jeff Cassar.

The Guatemalan striker started in the CONCACAF Champions League Group G finale for Municipal on Tuesday night at Rio Tinto Stadium.

A one-time teammate of Cassar and general manager Craig Waibel, Ruiz is the all-time leading scorer for the Guatemalan national team and was the MLS MVP in 2002.

In RSL's first meeting with Municipal, on Aug. 4 in Guatemala City, Ruiz had a flurry of goal-scoring chances. The most dangerous was a free kick that was set to bounce in off the crossbar if not for a stellar finger-tip save by goalkeeper Nick Rimando.

Cassar said Ruiz's effectiveness boils down to how in shape he is. The two were teammates with FC Dallas. Cassar said Monday that Ruiz looks more fit than in recent years.

"He's a very, very smart player," Cassar said. "He's definitely somebody you've got to be extremely aware of 30 yards and in."

In his decade playing in MLS, Ruiz played for five clubs: the L.A. Galaxy, FC Dallas, Toronto FC, Philadelphia Union and lastly D.C. United. He has 88 career MLS goals under his belt, too.

"He's one of those [guys] who just fights for everything he gets," said RSL midfielder Kyle Beckerman, who has had plenty of battles with Ruiz over the years. "He does everything possible, legal and illegal."

Plata out again

It seems Joao Plata's injury-riddled 2015 season is ready to end. The 23-year-old Ecuadorian forward missed his second consecutive match Tuesday night following a left adductor strain suffered in last Wednesday's 1-0 loss to Portland. Plata missed the first four months of the season due to a foot fracture suffered in late January. He scored the game-winner at Municipal on Aug. 4.

Beckerman's '15 finale

Tuesday night's Champions League showdown against Municipal was Beckerman's final match of the season. The 33-year-old midfielder will miss Sunday's regular-season finale at Seattle due to yellow card accumulation. On Saturday, Beckerman became the league's all-time leader in appearances with 379.

ckamrani@sltrib.com Twitter: @chriskamrani