International soccer returns with a double-fixture of the Conmebol World Cup Qualifiers 2022. Peru and Bolivia will face each other for Matchday 13 in Lima. While both teams are far from qualifying spots, they will try to get the points.
La Blanquirroja are in the ninth spot of the Conmebol standings, after two defeats in a row. Ricardo Gareca’s team lost 1-0 to Argentina in Buenos Aires last time out, and before that, they were defeated by Bolivia as visitors.
In such a delicate situation, however, Peru won’t have one of their most talented players, Seattle Sounders Raul Ruidíaz, who wasn’t included in the roster for this international date. Here, check out the reason why.
World Cup Qualifiers: Why Raul Ruidíaz won’t be playing for Peru?
Raul Ruidíaz was recovering from an injury that has made him miss the last six games in the MLS with the Seattle Sounders. His last match with the club was on September 29. However, he played with his national team in the last international break, which made his injury worse.
Ruidíaz has been regularly called into the Peru national team since joining the Sounders in 2018. While he shines with his club, in the national team he hasn’t been able to score in any of the 19 caps he’s won since the 2018 World Cup.
Right now, Ruidíaz seems to be better, he’s training with his club and he could feature in the next game for the Sounders in the MLS Playoffs. Ruidíaz has nine goals and six assists in 10 career playoff appearances.