| Carlos Gruezo | |
| Fullname: | Carlos Armando Gruezo Arboleda |
| Birth Date: | 19 April 1995 |
| Birth Place: | Santo Domingo, Ecuador |
| Height: | 1.73 m[1] |
| Currentclub: | San Jose Earthquakes |
| Clubnumber: | 7 |
| Position: | Midfielder, Centre-back |
| Youthclubs1: | Unión Deportiva Juvenil |
| Youthyears2: | 2008 |
| Youthclubs2: | LDU Quito |
| Youthyears3: | 2009 |
| Youthclubs3: | Defensor Sporting |
| Youthyears4: | 2010 |
| Youthclubs4: | Independiente DV |
| Years1: | 2011 |
| Clubs1: | Independiente DV |
| Caps1: | 4 |
| Goals1: | 0 |
| Years2: | 2012–2014 |
| Clubs2: | Barcelona SC |
| Caps2: | 77 |
| Goals2: | 3 |
| Years3: | 2014–2016 |
| Clubs3: | VfB Stuttgart |
| Caps3: | 18 |
| Goals3: | 1 |
| Years4: | 2016–2019 |
| Clubs4: | FC Dallas |
| Caps4: | 98 |
| Goals4: | 3 |
| Years5: | 2019–2023 |
| Clubs5: | FC Augsburg |
| Caps5: | 69 |
| Goals5: | 0 |
| Years6: | 2023– |
| Clubs6: | San Jose Earthquakes |
| Caps6: | 41 |
| Goals6: | 0 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2011 |
| Nationalteam1: | Ecuador U17 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 13 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 1 |
| Nationalyears2: | 2013 |
| Nationalteam2: | Ecuador U20 |
| Nationalcaps2: | 9 |
| Nationalgoals2: | 0 |
| Nationalyears3: | 2014– |
| Nationalteam3: | Ecuador |
| Nationalcaps3: | 62 |
| Nationalgoals3: | 1 |
| Club-Update: | 23:43, 25 May 2024 (UTC) |
| Nationalteam-Update: | 4 July 2024 |
Carlos Armando Gruezo Arboleda (pronounced as /es/; born 19 April 1995) is an Ecuadorian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder or central defender for Major League Soccer club San Jose Earthquakes and the Ecuador national team. He is the son of Carlos Armando Gruezo Quiñónez.[2]
He is described by FIFA's official website as "a technically adept holding midfielder and a precise passer of the ball".[3]
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]
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]
In February 2019, Gruezo obtained a U.S. green card, which qualified him as a domestic player for MLS roster purposes.[11]
| 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 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| Barcelona SC | 2012 | Ecuadorian Serie A | 39 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 1 | |
| 2013 | Ecuadorian Serie A | 38 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 2 | ||
| Total | 77 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 81 | 3 | |||
| VfB Stuttgart | 2013–14[12] | Bundesliga | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2014–15 | Bundesliga | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | ||
| 2015–16 | Bundesliga | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Total | 18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 1 | |||
| FC Dallas | 2016 | MLS | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 29 | 0 | |
| 2017 | MLS | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 0 | ||
| 2018 | MLS | 31 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 2 | ||
| 2019 | MLS | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | ||
| Total | 98 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 100 | 3 | |||
| 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 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 13 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 41 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 42 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 307 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 323 | 7 | |||
| 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 | 8 | 0 | |
| Total | 62 | 1 | |
Barcelona S.C.
2012
FC Dallas
2016
2016