Carlos Gruezo (footballer, born 1995)

Carlos Armando Gruezo Arboleda (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈkaɾlos ˈɣɾweso]; born 19 April 1995) is an Ecuadorian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Major League Soccer club San Jose Earthquakes and the Ecuador national team. He is the son of Carlos Armando Gruezo Quiñónez.[2]

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Gruezo and the second or maternal family name is Arboleda.
Carlos Gruezo
Gruezo with Ecuador in 2015
Personal information
Full name Carlos Armando Gruezo Arboleda
Date of birth (1995-04-19) 19 April 1995
Place of birth Santo Domingo, Ecuador
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)[1]
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 San Jose Earthquakes
Number 7
Youth career
Unión Deportiva Juvenil
2008 LDU Quito
2009 Defensor Sporting
2010 Independiente DV
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011 Independiente DV 4 (0)
2012–2014 Barcelona SC 77 (3)
2014–2016 VfB Stuttgart 18 (1)
2016–2019 FC Dallas 98 (3)
2019–2023 FC Augsburg 69 (0)
2023– San Jose Earthquakes 27 (0)
International career‡
2011 Ecuador U17 13 (1)
2013 Ecuador U20 9 (0)
2014– Ecuador 53 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 8 October 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 18 October 2023

He is described by FIFA's official website as "a technically adept holding midfielder and a precise passer of the ball".[3]

Club career

Gruezo began his career with Independiente del Valle before joining Ecuadorian club Barcelona SC.[3]

Gruezo went on trial for VfB Stuttgart in their pre season friendlies in South Africa.[4] On 30 January 2014, he signed a four-year contract with Stuttgart.[5] He scored his first goal for the club in a 4–1 victory over Freiburg on 28 November 2014, becoming the first Ecuadorian to score in the Bundesliga.[6] In 2015 however, he lost his spot in the starting lineup and only had a few more appearances for Stuttgart.

He moved to FC Dallas on 23 January 2016.[7]

On 2 July 2019, Gruezo returned to Germany, joining FC Augsburg on a five-year-deal.[8]

On 31 January 2023, Gruezo returned to the United States, joining San Jose Earthquakes on a three-year deal.[9]

International career

Gruezo played for the Ecuador U17 national team at the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup and at the 2013 South American Youth Championship.

He made his debut for the senior national team on 17 May 2014, coming in as a second-half substitute for Christian Noboa against the Netherlands. On 6 June, he was named in Ecuador's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.[10]

Personal life

In February 2019, Gruezo obtained a U.S. green card, which qualified him as a domestic player for MLS roster purposes.[11]

Career statistics

Club
As of 10 March 2019[12]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Independiente del Valle 2011 Ecuadorian Serie A 4000000040
Barcelona SC 2012 Ecuadorian Serie A 391001000401
2013 Ecuadorian Serie A 382003000412
Total 773004000813
VfB Stuttgart 2013–14[13] Bundesliga 8000000080
2014–15[13] Bundesliga 8100000081
2015–16[13] Bundesliga 2010000030
Total 181100000191
FC Dallas 2016 MLS 270000020290
2017 MLS 310000000310
2018 MLS 312000000312
2019 MLS 2000000020
Total 912000020932
Career total 19061040201976

International
As of 12 Octubre 2023[14]
Ecuador
YearAppsGoals
201480
201520
201670
201840
201950
202031
2021100
202280
202360
Total531
List of international goals scored by Carlos Gruezo
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
112 November 2020Estadio Hernando Siles, La Paz, Bolivia Bolivia3–23–22022 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

Barcelona S.C.

FC Dallas

References
  1. "Carlos Gruezo". FC Augsburg. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  2. "El debut de Gruezo emocionó a su padre". El Comercio.
  3. "Carlos GRUEZO". FIFA. Archived from the original on 21 June 2014. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  4. "VFB Stuttgart 1893 e.V. - 2014 begins with a win". Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  5. "Gruezo makes the move to VfB". vfb.de. VfB Stuttgart. 30 January 2014. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  6. "STUTTGART RISE ON STEVENS' RETURN". bundesliga.com. 28 November 2014. Archived from the original on 19 December 2014. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  7. "Carlos Gruezo wechselt in die USA" [Carlos Gruezo goes to the USA]. vfb.de. VfB Stuttgart. 23 January 2016. Archived from the original on 30 January 2016. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  8. "FCA verpflichtet Gruezo" (in German). FC Augsburg. 2 July 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  9. "San Jose Earthquakes sign DP midfielder Carlos Gruezo from FC Augsburg | MLSSoccer.com". mlssoccer. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  10. "Ecuador squad for 2014 World Cup: the 23 chosen by Reinaldo Rueda". The Guardian. 6 June 2014. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  11. Carrick, Buzz; USA, Dallas News (6 March 2019). "FC Dallas Practice Observations: March 6th".
  12. Carlos Gruezo at Soccerway
  13. "Carlos Gruezo » Club matches". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  14. Carlos Gruezo at National-Football-Teams.com
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