Miguel Trauco 'pleasantly surprised' by quality of MLS

San Jose Earthquakes left-back Miguel Trauco has been left 'pleasantly surprised' by the quality of Major League Soccer following his first month with the club.

The Peru international joined the Quakes as a free agent after last playing in France's Ligue 1 for Saint-Etienne and has made two appearances so far, providing his first assist for Nathan's goal in a 3-2 defeat to rivals LA Galaxy in September.

It's early days, but for a player whose career has seen him experience top-flight soccer in France, Brazil, and Peru, Trauco is happy with what he's seen so far.

“There is a lot of good quality. I’ve noticed the quality of my teammates," Trauco told reporters at a midweek press conference. "Everyone is physically strong, which creates good competition. The league has surprised me because you really get to see what it is from the inside. I’m pleasantly surprised with the quality that every teammate has. I think that’s going to be important leading to what we hope to accomplish next year.”

The Quakes have already been eliminated from MLS Cup Playoffs contention but will look to end 2022 strong when they travel to the Seattle Sounders.

Trauco's international teammate Raul Ruidiaz is likely to feature in the opposing line-up, and the defender has commented on his friendship with the 32-year-old, who has been one of the most feared strikers in MLS over the past few years.

I always talk with him, he’s a good friend of mine. He welcomed me to the league when I first arrived in San Jose," Trauco said of Ruidiaz. "It’ll be gratifying to finally see him after a really long time and to face him. Hopefully, he gets to play because I believe he’s coming off an injury from a previous match. It would be nice to see and face him. And hopefully, we can take the victory, which would be the best thing."

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