Sporting Kansas City has loaned forward Diego Rubio, midfielder Emmanuel Appiah and goalkeeper Jon Kempin to the Swope Park Rangers ahead of tonight's USL match between the Rangers and Saint Louis FC at World Wide Technology Soccer Park in Fenton, Missouri. The game will kick off at 7 p.m. CT and will stream live on SportingKC.com.
Rubio joined Sporting KC in March on loan from Spanish side Real Valladolid. The 23-year-old Chilean has tallied two goals and one assist in 13 appearances for the MLS club across all competitions. A native of Santiago, Chile, Rubio opened his Sporting KC scoring account in a 1-1 draw at Vancouver Whitecaps FC on April 27 and netted the game-winner in extra time of a 2-1 U.S. Open Cup victory over Minnesota United FC on June 15. Rubio notched his first assist for the club in Wednesday’s Open Cup defeat at the Houston Dynamo.
Appiah, a 22-year-old rookie, signed for Sporting KC on July 12. The University of Cincinnati product joined the Colorado Rapids in January as the No. 15 overall pick in the 2016 MLS SuperDraft, playing two matches on loan at USL club Charlotte Independence before parting ways with Colorado at the end of June. Appiah made his Swope Park Rangers debut in a 1-1 draw at the Colorado Springs Switchbacks on July 20.
Kempin, who became Sporting KC's first Homegrown Player in 2010, has made 11 USL appearances for the Rangers this season. Sporting KC recalled the 23-year-old this weekend for Sunday's 1-0 win over the Portland Timbers, where he was an unused substitute.
The Rangers (8-8-4, 28 points) have won two consecutive matches, moving into playoff position ahead of a two-game road trip. The swing begins tonight at Saint Louis FC (7-8-6, 27 points) and continues this weekend at Tulsa Roughnecks FC (5-12-3, 18 points), with Saturday's kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. CT at ONEOK Field.
Appiah, Rubio and Kempin join defender Ever Alvarado as Sporting KC players currently on loan with the Rangers. Click here to view the SKC/SPR loan tracker.
