Luckily for Guatamala, he wasn't afraid to sacrifice Keller's body in his quest to win either. Looking at it objectively, Ruiz did whatever he thought that he could get away with in a home game in a Central American nation against the US, whether it was safe, sportsmanlike, or legal. The next time we're down by a goal and a US player crashes into a goalie holding the ball in the hopes of jarring it loose (in addition to the other red-card level fouls he committed in the box near the end of the game), I'll "objectively" agree with anyone who calls him a punk, even if he is the leading scorer for my favorite MLS team.
If you want players who are going to be "safe" and "legal" then I want to re-introduce you to a saying - "Nice guys finish last." Though many have tried to claim otherwise in the years since that line was first used, this quote perseveres because it is largely true. The guys who try to follow the letter of the law get trampled by the guys who are always pushing the boundary between legal and illegal, safe and unsafe. I can't say the same about unsportsmanlike conduct, but I don't see anything Ruiz did that day as going beyond the normal code of conduct. And I'll be praising him for giving his all in a patriotic attempt to win a game for his country.
Wrestling fans with VERY long memories might recall the immortal words of "Dr." Jerry Graham after gouging an opponent half to death: "Always be good sports, kids. If I had done anything wrong, the ref would have called it."
Teams lose games all the time without resorting to the type of behavior that Ruiz displayed near the end of the game. Do they have less patriotism, or more class? I guess it's a matter of opinion. Were you impressed by the mexican players when they "patriotically" attempted to win their WC game against the US for their country?
Sorry - didn't know there was a new "Dr. Jerry Graham." The guy I was talking about was part of a brother act tag team in the late 1960's. Sounds like one of the wrestling circuits may have resurected the persona and recycled the script. Do you remember Big Moose Cholak, from Moosehead, Maine?
If you want class, go to the ballet, this is soccer and in case you haven't noticed, it's a contact sport. As I've said in other contexts, the first thing you think about in sports is winning. Once you take care of the winning, then you can worry about other stuff like style and class. I wouldn't use the word impressed for a team that lost 2-0. I'd also say that a team needs to know when and how to foul. Mexico fouled at inopportune times (especially late, giving the US valuable opportunities to waste time) and in ways that were reckless and led to cards (keywords Marquez, ejection). These things don't help you win, so again, unimpressed was I. I was very impressed, however, with Pablo Mastroeni, whose continual harrassment of Cuauhtemoc Blanco took him completely out of the game. Not clean or nice or classy, but effective.