Sony Computer Entertainment America and 989 Sports announced that it has signed Los Angeles Galaxy forward and Guatemalan National Team member, Carlos Ruiz, to be the cover athlete for the upcoming release World Tour Soccer 2005 for the PlayStation 2. After bursting onto the international scene as captain of the 2000 Guatemalan Olympic Team, appearing in 24 international matches and scoring 12 goals, Ruiz made an immediate impact in Major League Soccer (MLS) by leading the league in goals scored with 24 tallies for the 2002 season.
Known as The Little Fish (Pescadito), Ruiz joins the 989 Sports team after setting a new MLS record with nine game-winning goals, being named MLS Player of the Week three times, and was twice named MLS Player of the Month (May and July 2002). Capping off his rookie season, Ruiz earned the Galaxy its first league championship in club history by scoring the game-winning goal, was awarded the 2002 MLS Cup MVP, 2002 MLS Goal of the Year and the 2002 MLS Most Valuable Player .
Set for a spring release, World Tour Soccer 2005 promises to build upon the popular videogame franchise and deliver a soccer simulation which can rival Pro Evolution and FIFA for the PS 2. Now in its third year, the World Tour Soccer franchise has matured and is ready to challenge the others especially with its variety of play options and its realism, features which should make it appealing ot the core soccer enthusiast.
World Tour Soccer 2005 will offer more than 900 international and league teams from around the globe, 18,700 players from 30 divisions and 22 leagues including classic teams from the past like the 90's Barcelona team, the 80's Milan team and the 70's Liverpool team.
The announced multiple modes of play, including Exhibition Match, Season, Career, and Challenge Mode combined with intuitive controls, the revolutionary icon passing system, incredibly smart AI, and highly detailed stadiums from across the globe should put WTS 2005 on the soccer video game map.
For fans of the genre a worthy adversary to the other two games will just make choosing a favorite that little bit harder.
