Rubio Rubin
Rubin with Real Salt Lake in 2021
Personal information
Full name Rubio Yovani Méndez Rubín[2]
Date of birth (1996-03-01) 1 March 1996 (age 27)
Place of birth Beaverton, Oregon, United States
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[2]
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Querétaro
(on loan from Real Salt Lake)
Number 28
Youth career
2006–2011 Westside Metros
2011–2012 IMG Academy
2012–2013 Westside Timbers
2013–2014 Utrecht
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2017 Utrecht 41 (3)
2016–2017 Jong Utrecht 6 (0)
2017 Silkeborg IF 3 (0)
2017 Stabæk 7 (0)
2018–2020 Tijuana 15 (1)
2019–2020 → Dorados (loan) 34 (5)
2020 San Diego Loyal 5 (7)
2021– Real Salt Lake 79 (11)
2024– → Querétaro (loan) 2 (0)
International career‡
2011–2013 United States U17 37 (14)
2014–2015 United States U20 11 (6)
2014–2015 United States U23 3 (0)
2014–2018 United States 7 (0)
2022– Guatemala 17 (6)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22 January 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 17 October 2023 (UTC)

Rubio Yovani Méndez Rubín (born 1 March 1996) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Liga MX club Querétaro F.C., on loan from MLS club Real Salt Lake. Born in the United States, he plays for the Guatemala national team.

Club career

Youth

Rubin attended Whitford Middle School in Beaverton, Oregon. He started his youth career at Westside Metros and played at Beaverton High School.

Senior

Rubin signed a four-year deal with FC Utrecht upon turning eighteen in March 2014.[3] Rubin started, played the full 90 minutes and recorded an assist in his professional debut for Utrecht on 17 August 2014, in a 2–1 victory over Willem II.[4]

He won the Beloften Eredivisie in 2015–16 with Jong FC Utrecht.

Rubin signed with Silkeborg IF of the Danish Superliga in January 2017[5] after being released from FC Utrecht.

After his departure from Silkeborg, Rubin signed with Stabæk for the remainder of the 2017 season.[6]

Rubin joined Liga MX side Club Tijuana in February 2018.[7] After mostly playing on loan with Tijuana's affiliate Dorados, Rubin joined San Diego Loyal in September 2020.[8]

On 7 January 2021, Rubin joined MLS side Real Salt Lake.[9]

International career

United States

A former United States under-17 player, Rubin in 2012 was named U.S. Soccer Young Male Athlete of the Year.[10]

Rubin was eligible to play for Guatemala, Mexico, or the United States. He joined the United States team for the match against the Czech Republic on 3 September 2014.[11] He earned his first cap when he started on 14 November 2014, in a 2–1 defeat against Colombia, narrowly failing to score a header in the second half and attracting praise from manager Jürgen Klinsmann.[12]

Guatemala

Following a one-time switch earlier in the year, Rubin made his debut for Guatemala in a 2–0 Nations League defeat to French Guiana on 2 June 2022.[13][14]

In June 2023, Rubin was named to Guatemala's squad for the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup.[15] During Guatemala's opening match against Cuba on June 28, 2023, he was fouled and injured in the opening ten minutes in which he was replaced by Guatemala teammate Darwin Lom.[16] He remained in Guatemala’s roster and was an unused substitute in Guatemala's second group match against Canada on July 1.[17]

On July 4, 2023, Rubin returned to Guatemala's starting 11 in the Gold Cup during Group D's third and final group match against Guadeloupe. He scored 2 goals helping Guatemala secure a 3-2 victory against Guadeloupe helping the team top the group and move onto the Quarter-Finals of the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup.[18]

Personal life

Rubin was born to a Mexican father and a Guatemalan mother.[11][19]

Career statistics

International

As of match played 17 October 2023[20]
National team Year Apps Goals
United States 2014 2 0
2015 1 0
2018 4 0
Total 7 0
Guatemala 2022 6 2
2023 11 4
Total 17 6

International goals

Scores and results list Guatemala's goal tally first.[21]

No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 13 June 2022 Estadio Doroteo Guamuch Flores, Guatemala City, Guatemala  Dominican Republic 1–0 2–0 2022-23 CONCACAF Nations League B
2. 2–0
3. 27 March 2023 Estadio Doroteo Guamuch Flores, Guatemala City, Guatemala  French Guiana 1–0 4–0
4. 4 July 2023 Red Bull Arena (New Jersey), Harrison, New Jersey, United States of America  Guadeloupe 1–1 3–2 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup
5. 2–2
6. 13 October 2023 Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago  Trinidad and Tobago 1–0 2-3 2023-24 CONCACAF Nations League A

Honours

Individual

References

  1. ^ "Méndez Rubín trabaja con la bicolor".
  2. ^ a b "FIFA U-20 World Cup New Zealand 2015 List of Players" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 30 May 2015. p. 23. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  3. ^ "American Exports: US youth int'l Rubio Rubin signs four-year deal with Eredivisie side Utrecht". MLSsoccer.com.
  4. ^ "American Exports: US U-20 Rubio Rubin goes 90 in Dutch debut for FC Utrecht victory". MLSsoccer.com.
  5. ^ "SIF henter amerikansk angriber". www.silkeborgif.com. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
  6. ^ "Welcome to Stabæk, Rubio Rubin". Stabæk.
  7. ^ "Ficha Xolos alatacante Rubio Rubin". Sitio Oficial del Club Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles de Caliente.
  8. ^ "Rubin, Guido join USL side San Diego Loyal". 2 September 2020.
  9. ^ "Real Salt Lake Signs Former U.S. International Rubio Rubin | Real Salt Lake".
  10. ^ Ryan Rosenblatt (30 July 2014). "Rubio Rubin signs 4-year contract with FC Utrecht". Stars and Stripes FC.
  11. ^ a b "Player Spotlight: For Rubio Rubin, It's All About the Red, White & Blue". www.ASN.com. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  12. ^ Prince-Wright, Joe. "Rubio Rubin, just 18, shows plenty of promise on US national team debut". NBC Sports. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
  13. ^ "Real Salt Lake's Rubio Rubin makes one-time switch from USMNT to Guatemala". ESPN. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  14. ^ "French Guiana vs Guatemala". CONCACAF. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  15. ^ "National team roster - 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup" (PDF). 1 June 2023.
  16. ^ "Lom reflects on journey to golden moment with Guatemala". 28 June 2023.
  17. ^ "Guatemala 0-0 Canada Final Score (July 1 2023)". 1 July 2023.
  18. ^ "Real Salt Lake's Rubio Rubín Scores Twice For Guatemala In CONCACAF Gold Cup". 4 July 2023.
  19. ^ "Getting to Know: U.S. U-17 MNT Forward Rubio Rubin". ussoccer.com. Archived from the original on 30 July 2014. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  20. ^ Rubio Rubin at National-Football-Teams.com
  21. ^ "Rubio Rubin". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 21 October 2023.

External links

Querétaro F.C. – current squad
Guatemala squad – 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup
MLS Goal of the Year Award
Categories