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Pablo Cruz was among the raft of late-season additions to the Orange County Blues in 2016, a group that definitively helped the Blues qualify for the playoffs and ultimately win the first playoff game in club history.
The midfielder, a Pasadena native who had been part of the vaunted Cal FC squad that went on a run in the 2012 U.S. Open cup, had bounced around in NASL, not uncommon for midseason signings in USL, and seemed like he might become a valued contributor for OC.
But his stint with the Blues was remarkably brief, with his appearances all coming in the span of just over two weeks. Making his debut at the very end of July, before his signing was publicly announced, Cruz's last appearance came Aug. 14.
Here are Cruz's statistics with the Blues in 2016:
| Games Played | Games Started | Minutes | Goals | Assists | Shots | SOG | Yellow Cards | Red Cards | |
| USL Regular Season | 5 | 2 | 195 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| USL Playoffs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| U.S. Open Cup | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 5 | 2 | 195 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
The Blues had a 3-2-0 mark in the games Cruz played, but all in all, he didn't leave that much of an impression on the field in his limited minutes with the club, truth be told.
And after that final appearance on Aug. 14, Cruz was apparently out the door shortly thereafter. In addition to playing no more games, he is not listed as an active roster member, so all signs point to an official departure. Whether that came from the player's side or team, is unknown.
So we'll see what the future holds for Cruz. He's carved out a decent career, but between a little-used stint at FC Edmonton and then the brief spell with the Blues, 2016 is probably considered a disappointing season. Will he continue at a new destination in 2017? Time will tell.
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