Rubio Yovani Méndez Rubín (born 1 March 1996) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward. Born in the United States, he plays for the Guatemala national team.

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 28)
Place of birth Beaverton, Oregon, United States
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.8 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)
2019–2020Dorados (loan) 34 (5)
2020 San Diego Loyal 5 (7)
2021–2024 Real Salt Lake 79 (11)
2022 Real Monarchs 1 (0)
2024Querétaro (loan) 17 (3)
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 27 (10)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 8 November 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 15 October 2024 (UTC)

Club career

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Youth

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

Senior

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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]

On 14 January 2024, Rubin was loaned from Real Salt Lake to Liga MX club Querétaro F.C.[10]

International career

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United States

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A former United States under-17 player, Rubin in 2012 was named U.S. Soccer Young Male Athlete of the Year.[11]

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.[12] 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.[13]

Guatemala

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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.[14][15]

2023: Gold Cup

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In June 2023, Rubin was named to Guatemala's squad for the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup.[16] 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.[17] He remained in Guatemala's roster and was an unused substitute in Guatemala's second group match against Canada on July 1.[18]

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.[19]

Personal life

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Rubin was born to a Mexican father and a Guatemalan mother.[12][20]

Career statistics

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International

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As of match played 15 October 2024[21]
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
2024 10 4
Total 27 10

International goals

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As of match played 5 September 2024
Scores and results list Guatemala's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Rubin goal.[21]
List of international goals scored by Rubio Rubin
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
1 13 June 2022 Estadio Doroteo Guamuch Flores, Guatemala City, Guatemala 4   Dominican Republic 1–0 2–0 2022-23 CONCACAF Nations League B [22]
2 2–0
3 27 March 2023 Estadio Doroteo Guamuch Flores, Guatemala City, Guatemala 8   French Guiana 1–0 4–0 2022-23 CONCACAF Nations League B [23]
4 4 July 2023 Red Bull Arena, Harrison, United States 12   Guadeloupe 1–1 3–2 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup [24]
5 2–2
6 13 October 2023 Hasely Crawford Stadium, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago 16   Trinidad and Tobago 1–0 2–3 2023-24 CONCACAF Nations League A [25]
7 26 May 2024 PayPal Park, San Jose, United States 20   Nicaragua 1–0 1–1 Friendly [26]
8 5 June 2024 Estadio Doroteo Guamuch Flores, Guatemala City, Guatemala 21   Dominica 4–0 6–0 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification [27]
9 8 June 2024 A. O. Shirley Recreation Ground, Road Town, British Virgin Islands 22   British Virgin Islands 2–0 3–0 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification [28]
10 5 September 2024 Estadio Doroteo Guamuch Flores, Guatemala City, Guatemala 24   Martinique 1–0 3–1 2024–25 CONCACAF Nations League [29]

Honours

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Individual

References

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  1. ^ "Méndez Rubín trabaja con la bicolor". June 2021.
  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. ^ "Real Salt Lake loan Rubio Rubín to Querétaro FC".
  11. ^ Ryan Rosenblatt (30 July 2014). "Rubio Rubin signs 4-year contract with FC Utrecht". Stars and Stripes FC.
  12. ^ a b "Player Spotlight: For Rubio Rubin, It's All About the Red, White & Blue". www.ASN.com. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  13. ^ Prince-Wright, Joe. "Rubio Rubin, just 18, shows plenty of promise on US national team debut". NBC Sports. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
  14. ^ "Real Salt Lake's Rubio Rubin makes one-time switch from USMNT to Guatemala". ESPN. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  15. ^ "French Guiana vs Guatemala". CONCACAF. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  16. ^ "National team roster – 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup" (PDF). 1 June 2023.
  17. ^ "Lom reflects on journey to golden moment with Guatemala". 28 June 2023.
  18. ^ "Guatemala 0–0 Canada Final Score (July 1 2023)". 1 July 2023.
  19. ^ "Real Salt Lake's Rubio Rubín Scores Twice For Guatemala In CONCACAF Gold Cup". 4 July 2023.
  20. ^ "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.
  21. ^ a b Rubio Rubin at National-Football-Teams.com
  22. ^ "GUATEMALA VS. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 2 - 0". Soccerway. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  23. ^ "GUATEMALA VS. FRENCH GUIANA 4 - 0". Soccerway. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  24. ^ "GUADELOUPE VS. GUATEMALA 2 - 3". Soccerway. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  25. ^ "TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO VS. GUATEMALA 3 - 2". Soccerway. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  26. ^ "GUATEMALA VS. NICARAGUA 1 - 1". Soccerway. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  27. ^ "GUATEMALA VS. DOMINICA 6 - 0". Soccerway. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  28. ^ "BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS VS. GUATEMALA 0 - 3". Soccerway. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  29. ^ "GUATEMALA VS. MARTINIQUE 3 - 1: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
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