Jenn Hildreth and Carlos Ruiz headline the latest Apple MLS broadcaster hires

Major League Soccer and Apple announced the last big round of broadcaster hires for their new streaming package on Wednesday, and it includes yet another Philadelphia tie.

Longtime MLS striker Carlos Ruiz, who spent a tumultuous nine months with the Union in 2011 and scored one of the team’s all-time goals, will be a game analyst in Spanish. He joins former Union players Maurice Edu and Sébastien Le Toux, former Union TV analyst Danny Higginbotham, and longtime Philadelphia resident Lori Lindsey in the platform’s ranks.

Ruiz played for five MLS teams in a 21-year pro career: the Los Angeles Galaxy and FC Dallas twice, and Toronto FC, D.C. United, and the Union once each. He also spent stints in Mexico, Greece, Honduras, and his native Guatemala; and he earned 133 caps for Guatemala’s national team.

He was renowned as a pest but also as a consummate finisher. Ruiz was MLS’ top scorer and MVP awards in 2002, and led the Galaxy to a dramatic title win that year. In 2003, he was joint top scorer with Taylor Twellman, who coincidentally now will be an Apple teammate.

» READ MORE: How to watch Union games in the new Apple MLS Season Pass streaming package

Since leaving the field, Ruiz has done broadcasting work for outlets including beIN Sports, Univision, and the Fútbol de Primera radio network.

“When I came to Major League Soccer in 2002, the fans were extremely enthusiastic about the league and how competitive it was, and it was only a matter of time before the rest of the world caught on,” he said in a statement. “With the Apple partnership, that time has come. I am thrilled to be part of it and to have our matches seen and heard worldwide.”

Of the 31 names announced Wednesday, the biggest are play-by-play voices. Jenn Hildreth, a leading voice of the NWSL for years, leads the list on the English side. Ramses Sandoval and Raúl Guzmán, veterans of Univision with long experience calling MLS and U.S. national team games, are on the Spanish marquee.

» READ MORE: We know what MLS wants from Apple. What does Apple want from MLS?

“I am so excited to be a part of this broadcast team,” Hildreth said. “Apple has made it clear that they are all in to provide comprehensive and high-quality coverage of MLS, and I am honored to be included in this incredible collection of people both in front of and behind the camera.”

Sandoval told The Inquirer that he will continue his work with Univision while working for Apple.

Other well-known hires include former U.S. goalkeeper Tony Meola as an analyst, and HBO Max/TNT U.S. national team sideline reporter Melissa Ortiz as a studio analyst. She’ll do work in English and Spanish.

Here’s the full list of hires announced by MLS and Apple on Wednesday, bringing the total number of hires so far to 80. With each name you’ll see a detail on where else they’ve worked recently.

» READ MORE: Former Union TV analyst Danny Higginbotham joins Apple MLS broadcasts

English: Ed Cohen (MSG Network, New York Knicks), Jenn Hildreth (CBS, ESPN), Tony Husband (Nashville SC), Blake Price (Canada’s TSN), Chris Wittyngham (Inter Miami, the Dan Le Batard Show, the late Grant Wahl’s podcast)

Spanish: Juan Arango (Univision, Copa Libertadores), Raúl Guzmán (Univision), Jose Hernandez (Univision), Rodolfo Landeros (Fox), Moisés Linares (D.C. United, NBC Sports Washington), Ramses Sandoval (Univision), Bruno Vain (DirecTV)

French: Olivier Brett (Canada’s RDS and TSN)

English: Calen Carr (MLSSoccer.com), Paul Dolan (TSN), Tony Meola (Fox Sports, Chicago Fire, SiriusXM), Greg Sutton (TSN)

Spanish: Andrés Agulla (ESPN), Maximiliano Cordaro (Telemundo Bay Area, CNN), Miguel Gallardo (Orlando City), Sonny Guadarrama (Austin FC), Pablo Mariño (beIN Sports, Telemundo), Walter Roque (Telemundo), Carlos Ruiz (beIN Sports, Univision, Fútbol de Primera radio), Claudio Suárez (Fox), Mariano Trujillo (Fox), Martín Zúñiga (Fox).

French: Vincent Destouches (Canada’s TVA Sports)

English: Nigel Reo-Coker (CBS, Sky Sports, BBC, ex-player in MLS and the English Premier League)

Spanish: Chelsea Cabarcas (New York City FC, MSG Network)

Both: Melissa Ortiz (HBO Max/TNT, Fox)

» READ MORE: Ex-Union players Sébastien Le Toux, Maurice Edu to call MLS games on Apple’s streaming platform