Carlos Armando Gruezo Arboleda (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈkaɾlos ˈɣɾweso]; born 19 April 1995) is an Ecuadorian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder or central defender for Liga MX club Santos Laguna and for the Ecuador national team. He is the son of Carlos Armando Gruezo Quiñónez.[2]
_(cropped).jpg) Gruezo with Ecuador in 2015 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Carlos Armando Gruezo Arboleda | ||
| Date of birth | 19 April 1995 | ||
| Place of birth | Santo Domingo, Ecuador | ||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)[1] | ||
| Positions | |||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Santos Laguna | ||
| Number | 11 | ||
| 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) |
| 2023–2024 | San Jose Earthquakes | 47 | (0) |
| 2025 | L.D.U. Quito | 23 | (1) |
| 2026– | Santos Laguna | 8 | (1) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2011 | Ecuador U17 | 13 | (1) |
| 2013 | Ecuador U20 | 9 | (0) |
| 2014– | Ecuador | 64 | (1) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 19 August 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 19 November 2024 | |||
He is described by FIFA's official website as "a technically adept holding midfielder and a precise passer of the ball".[3]
Club career
editGruezo 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] San Jose and Gruezo mutually agreed to terminate his contract with the club on 4 February 2025 and joined L.D.U. Quito soon after.[10][11]
International career
editGruezo 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.[12]
Gruezo was selected in the 23 player Ecuador squad for the Copa América Centenario.[13]
Gruezo was selected in the 23-man Ecuador squad for the 2019 Copa América, released on 20 May 2019.[14]
Gruezo was selected in the 28 player Ecuador squad for the 2021 Copa América.[15]
Gruezo was named in the Ecuadorian squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup[16]
Gruezo was called up to the final 26-man Ecuador squad for the 2024 Copa América.[17]
Personal life
editIn February 2019, Gruezo obtained a U.S. green card, which qualified him as a domestic player for MLS roster purposes.[18]
Career statistics
editClub
edit- As of match played 19 October 2024[19]
| 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 | 4 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | ||
| Barcelona SC | 2012 | Ecuadorian Serie A | 39 | 1 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 40 | 1 | ||
| 2013 | Ecuadorian Serie A | 38 | 2 | — | 3 | 0 | — | 41 | 2 | |||
| Total | 77 | 3 | — | 4 | 0 | — | 81 | 3 | ||||
| VfB Stuttgart | 2013–14[20] | Bundesliga | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 8 | 0 | ||
| 2014–15[20] | Bundesliga | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 8 | 1 | |||
| 2015–16[20] | Bundesliga | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | |||
| Total | 18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 19 | 1 | ||||
| FC Dallas | 2016 | MLS | 27 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 32 | 0 | |
| 2017 | MLS | 31 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | — | 38 | 1 | ||
| 2018 | MLS | 31 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 35 | 3 | |
| 2019 | MLS | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 1 | |||
| Total | 98 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 114 | 5 | ||
| Augsburg | 2019–20 | Bundesliga | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 12 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21 | Bundesliga | 28 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 30 | 0 | |||
| 2021–22 | Bundesliga | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 18 | 0 | |||
| 2022–23 | Bundesliga | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 15 | 0 | |||
| Total | 69 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | — | 75 | 0 | ||||
| San Jose Earthquakes | 2023 | MLS | 28 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 31 | 0 |
| 2024 | MLS | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 4[a] | 0 | 28 | 0 | ||
| Total | 52 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 57 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 318 | 7 | 13 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 352 | 9 | ||
- ↑ Appearances in Leagues Cup
International
edit- As of match played 19 November 2024[21]
| Ecuador | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 2014 | 8 | 0 |
| 2015 | 2 | 0 |
| 2016 | 7 | 0 |
| 2018 | 4 | 0 |
| 2019 | 5 | 0 |
| 2020 | 3 | 1 |
| 2021 | 10 | 0 |
| 2022 | 8 | 0 |
| 2023 | 7 | 0 |
| 2024 | 10 | 0 |
| Total | 64 | 1 |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 November 2020 | Estadio Hernando Siles, La Paz, Bolivia |  Bolivia | 3–2 | 3–2 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Honours
editReferences
edit- ↑ "Carlos Gruezo". FC Augsburg. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
- ↑ "El debut de Gruezo emocionó a su padre". El Comercio. Archived from the original on 15 April 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
- 1 2 "Carlos GRUEZO". FIFA. Archived from the original on 21 June 2014. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
- ↑ "VFB Stuttgart 1893 e.V. - 2014 begins with a win". Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ "STUTTGART RISE ON STEVENS' RETURN". bundesliga.com. 28 November 2014. Archived from the original on 19 December 2014. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ "FCA verpflichtet Gruezo" (in German). FC Augsburg. 2 July 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
- ↑ "San Jose Earthquakes sign DP midfielder Carlos Gruezo from FC Augsburg | MLSSoccer.com". mlssoccer. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
- ↑ "San Jose Earthquakes, Carlos Gruezo mutually terminate contract | MLSSoccer.com". mlssoccer.
- ↑ @ldu_oficial; (25 January 2025). ""⚪🔴 ¡𝘾𝘼𝙍𝙇𝙊𝙎! 🔴⚪La espera se hizo realidad 💪🏽⚽️ ¡BIENVENIDOOO A TU NUEVA CASA! 🏟️🔥"". Retrieved 1 March 2025 – via Instagram.
- ↑ "Ecuador squad for 2014 World Cup: the 23 chosen by Reinaldo Rueda". The Guardian. 6 June 2014. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
- ↑ "PRE NÓMINA DE ECUADOR PARA LA COPA AMÉRICA CENTENARIO". www.ecuafutbol.org. Archived from the original on 25 June 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
- ↑ "LOS 23 CONVOCADOS DE ECUADOR PARA COPA AMÉRICA DE BRASIL 2019" (in Spanish). FEF. 20 May 2019.[permanent dead link]
- ↑ Ecuadorian Football Federation [@LaTri] (9 June 2021). "¡Y los convocados son! Estos son los elegidos por el DT #GustavoAlfaro para encarar un desafío continental: la @CopaAmerica" (Tweet) (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 June 2021 – via Twitter.
- ↑ Ecuador national football team [@LaTri] (14 November 2022). "Aquí están los 26 jugadores elegidos por el DT Gustavo Alfaro para jugar la Copa Mundial FIFA, estamos listos para hacer historia" [Here are the 26 players chosen by head coach Gustavo Alfaro to play the FIFA World Cup, we are ready to make history.] (Tweet) (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 November 2022 – via Twitter.
- ↑ "Ecuador presenta lista oficial para la Copa América: Gonzalo Plata y Robert Arboleda quedaron relegados" [Ecuador presents official roster for Copa America: Gonzalo Plata and Robert Arboleda left off the list] (in Spanish). El Universo. 29 May 2024.
- ↑ Carrick, Buzz; USA, Dallas News (6 March 2019). "FC Dallas Practice Observations: March 6th".
- ↑ Carlos Gruezo at Soccerway
- 1 2 3 "Carlos Gruezo » Club matches". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- ↑ Carlos Gruezo at National-Football-Teams.com
External links
edit
- Carlos Gruezo at Soccerway.com
- Carlos Gruezo at WorldFootball.net
- Carlos Gruezo at Soccerbase.com
- Carlos Gruezo at National-Football-Teams.com
- Carlos Gruezo at FBref.com
- Carlos Gruezo at kicker (in German)
- Carlos Gruezo at Major League Soccer
- Carlos Gruezo at Fussballdaten.de (in German)
- Carlos Gruezo at AS.com (in Spanish)
- Carlos Gruezo at InterSportStats
- Carlos Gruezo – FIFA competition record (archived)
- Carlos Armando Gruezo Arboleda at ecuafutbol.org at the Wayback Machine (archived 7 February 2012)
