Miami homegrown player David Ruiz' aggressive style is making an impact for club and country

Does David Antonio Ochoa Posas -- known to us as David Ruiz -- have a nickname? He's going to need one if he keeps playing like he has in May.

Instant Impact? The Microwave? Wrecker? OK, I'll stop. Nicknames aren't my strength. Besides, they should come from coaches, teammates, family or friends, not pundits.

Ruiz, 19, was dynamic in his last match for Inter Miami, a 2-1 win against New England in which he scored one goal and assisted on the other. His aggressive play earned a red card late in the match, forcing La Rosanegra to scramble defensively in the last few minutes to secure the much-needed win.

The Miami native, who joined the Inter Miami Academy in 2021 and signed with the first team as a Homegrown Player earlier this year, has become a fan favorite with his energy and toughness. He's taken that aggressive style of play to the FIFA U20 World Cup with the Honduran U20 National Team (his parents are Honduran), where he scored a goal and was ejected in the first half of a 2-2 tie with South Korea.

Los Catrachos play France at 5 p.m. ET Sunday in their group stage final; they need to beat France by at least two goals and hope the Koreans lose to Gambia to advance to the 16-team knockout stage. The field includes six 3-team groups; the top two teams from each group and the four best third-place teams move to the knockout round.

The match will be played at Estadio Único Diego Armando Maradona, in La Plata, Argentina. Fans in the United States can watch the match on Telemundo Deportes and Fox Sports 2, streaming on FIFA+ and fubo TV, or on the Honduras Instagram and Twitter digital accounts.

Ruiz is approaching his first international action with a great attitude for a youngster. He told Michael Franca, writing for the Inter Miami CF website, that he's approaching the World Cup as an opportunity to grow professionally.

“I’m looking to gain experience, taking all the information I can and exploring different playing styles. I hope to build off of this by learning to dedicate myself to what I’m doing away from home, sacrificing my home life for these opportunities,” Ruiz said. “Inter Miami prepared me by helping me be able to play against and amongst older players who are more experienced and have taught me discipline. They have helped me develop my game with their advice and coaching. Breaking into the First Team has given me a lot of confidence. It has also shown me that if I work hard, I can accomplish anything.”