Sporting Kansas City acquired 23-year-old Chilean striker Diego Rubio on a loan as a Young Designated Player on March 8, 2016. He was loaned to the Swope Park Rangers on August 3, 2016.
Rubio recorded 37 goals and 15 assists during a five-stint professional career in South America and Europe. The forward joins Sporting Kansas City from Real Valladolid of the Spanish Segunda Division, where he made 14 appearances during the 2015-16 season.
2016: MLS regular season: Has started three of 11 appearances (283 minutes played). Made his Sporting KC debut in a 2-1 loss to Real Salt Lake on April 2, drawing the penalty kick that was subsequently converted by Benny Feilhaber. Earned his first start on April 13 against the Colorado Rapids. Scored his first MLS goal in a 1-1 draw at Vancouver on April 27. Open Cup: Started one of two appearances (86 minutes played), recording one goal and one assist. Played 15 minutes as a late substitute in a 2-1 extra time win over Minnesota United FC on June 15, scoring the game-winning goal in the 109th minute. Started and played 71 minutes, assisting Brad Davis' goal, in a 3-1 fifth round loss at the Houston Dynamo on June 29.
A native of Santiago, Chile, Rubio played for 18-time Primeira Liga champion Sporting Clube de Portugal from 2011-2015, scoring 22 goals in 52 games for the club’s reserve team Sporting B. He also made 20 senior team appearances, including six in the 2011-12 UEFA Europa League as he helped the club advance to the tournament semifinals.
During his time at Sporting, Rubio was loaned to Romanian side Pandurii Targu Jiu in 2013 and Norwegian club Sandnes Ulf in 2014, where he led the team with eight goals in the top-flight Tippeligaen. He returned to Portugal for the 2014-15 campaign, finishing seventh in the Segunda Liga with 14 goals as Sporting B fell four points short of the second division title.
Rubio has earned three caps for the Chile Men’s National Team since debuting at age 18 in a friendly against Paraguay in June 2011. He appeared in two additional friendlies against France and Mexico later that year before playing eight matches at the U-20 level in 2012 and 2013, including three starts at the 2013 South American Youth Football Championship.
After climbing the youth ranks at his hometown club Colo-Colo, Rubio made his senior team debut aged 17 in February 2011. He notched six goals in 10 matches for Colo-Colo — three in the Chilean Primera Division and three in the Copa Libertadores, South America’s premier international club competition. He scored his first professional goal in the group stage of the prestigious tournament against eventual champion Santos FC of Brazil. Less than two weeks after receiving his first cap for Chile, Rubio was transferred to Sporting in July 2011.
