Rubio Rubin knows a thing or two about pressure.
At just 17 years old, he made the decision to go to Europe to try to help support a hard-working family back home in Beaverton, Oregon. A year later, he made his U.S. National Team debut at Craven Cottage and looked well on his way to stardom. Expectations were high and he looked to be well on a path to reaching them when an injury sidelined him and changed the trajectory of his career.
While bouncing around from one league to another trying to rekindle that early success, he earned the confidence of two legends of the game in Diego Maradona and Landon Donovan who helped in redirecting a career that looked astray from the outside.
Now at 25 years old, he feels like he is back in control of his own destiny as he looks to help recharge Real Salt Lake’s attack and return to the playoffs for the third time in the last four seasons. All the while, he is set on living up to the promise that had so many eyes turned his direction when he was just a teenager.
THE JOURNEY BEGINS
Growing up in Beaverton, Oregon, just a few miles outside of Portland, Rubin learned a sturdy work ethic from an early age. His father worked construction while his mother was a housekeeper, doing their best to keep the family fed and blazing a trail for their son to follow. That undying work ethic was evident from an early age on the soccer field and he was quickly identified as one of the best players in his age group.
In 2012, already well into climbing the ladder with the U.S. Youth National Teams, he was named the U.S. Soccer Young Male Athlete of the Year. There was interest from the Portland Timbers, but when an opportunity arose from overseas, he couldn’t pass it up and at 17, he left home for the Netherlands.
“When I was little, the dream was always to play in Europe,” Rubin said. “Month-to-month, it was a grind. To go and play soccer and make some money to help my family out was something I had to consider. It was something that I couldn’t pass up. It was an easy decision.”
At FC Utrecht, he saw early on the rigors he would face in his quest to earn respect in the professional ranks. He was competing with more experienced players for playing time and they knew that as a rising young talent, Rubin was gunning for their positions.
“It was a big jump. I went there alone and mentally I wasn’t ready for what was to come. You’re there playing against grown men and they know that you are there to take their spot. It’s not easy. It’s the reality,” he said. “Going from the residency to an environment where you are making money and there is pressure to score goals, I was unsure how to handle that kind of pressure. I went from being the best player on my team to having to fight for everything. I had to adapt.”
Early on, he answered the call, logging five assists in his first eight appearances for Utrecht and quickly drew the attention of the U.S. National Team and Jurgen Klinsmann. Already a standout at the youth levels with 14 goals in 38 appearances with the U-17 and U-18 teams and eight goals in 14 matches with the U-20s, he had now shown that he could compete when thrown into the gauntlet of playing with men.
So it was at 18 years old that he was thrust into the spotlight with the U.S. National Team.
The U.S. was slated to face Colombia at Craven Cottage in West London and on the eve of the friendly, Klinsmann sat Rubin next to Jozy Altidore in the locker room. As the starting lineup for the match the following day became evident, Rubin’s eyes widened.
“You’re getting the nod,” he remembers Altidore, who at 25 years old at the time had 24 goals and 74 caps to his credit, saying to him. “Are you ready?”
“As ready as I can be,” he answered.
Altidore would get the U.S. out to an early lead in the match when he scored a 10th minute penalty. On the play that resulted in the PK, Rubin had position on his defender, who leapt and defended the ball with an outstretched arm to draw the call from the referee.
Later in the second half with the U.S. still leading 1-0, Alejandro Bedoya sent a looping ball over the top of Colombia’s backline with Rubin darting on a backdoor run for a diving header. With the goalkeeper approaching, he nodded a shot out of his reach, but just beyond the near post.
Of all the opportunities he has had through his career – some scored, some not – that is one that he replays in his head.
“If only I would have scored that,” he thinks out loud. “It could have changed a lot.”
As it was, he would go on to make two more appearances for the U.S. before the conclusion of his first professional season. During that year with Utrecht, he finished with three goals and six assists in 28 appearances.
TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS
In his second season, he was embroiled in a battle for playing time with two more experienced players and while he was included in the squad, his playing time was highlighted mostly with Utrecht’s U-21 team, where he scored two goals in three matches in the opening weeks of the season. In October, just 34 appearances into his pro career, a broken foot took the wind out of his sails, sidelining him for five months. Once back, he worked his way back to fitness with the U-21s again with three goals and three assists in six matches while helping win Holland’s top reserve division, the Beloften Eredivisie.
While he was able to find success against players his own age, he couldn’t break through with the first team and his journey was beginning to take a winding road.
In 2017, he made the move to Silkeborg IF in Denmark, then that summer to Stabaek in Norway. At both stops, his efforts to impress coaches and overtake veterans in his position were unsuccessful.
The following year, a move to Tijuana in LigaMX saw him return to the U.S. National Team under Dave Sarachan, making four appearances in friendlies. He had taken to the wing for his club and returned to the scoresheet with a goal against Chivas. But when the new season started, he again found himself on the outside of regular playing time.
A loan was in order and he went to Dorados in Mexico’s second division and there one of the game’s all-time greats would instill a confidence in him that brought life back into his play on the field.
He again sat at his locker and awaited the lineup for his first game with his new team. There was just one change from the previous match – Rubin at striker.
When telling him about the decision, Diego Maradona looked Rubin in the eyes and offered his best vote of confidence.
“I didn’t want to start you, but the coaches have told me that you’ve done really well in preseason,” Rubin recalls him saying. “I’m going to give you a chance to prove your worth."
Week after week, his name would appear in the starting lineup and he finished with seven goals in 42 appearances. However, when his contract expired, a new manager was aboard and he found himself seeking a new opportunity.
This time a new challenge awaited – a global pandemic.
CONFIDENCE ROAD
Planning to make a return to the U.S. for the first time in his professional career, he hoped for a move to Major League Soccer. Amid the chaotic stops and starts of the 2020 season, he couldn’t find any takers and felt like he’d reached rock bottom.
“I went from being in Europe to playing in the second division,” he thought. “Nobody wants me. There is no interest.”
Just as he thought he would have to wait out the pandemic to find a new opportunity, Landon Donovan came calling. In his first season with San Diego Loyal, he sought another scoring option and Rubin fit the bill perfectly.
Once he arrived, it was clearly a perfect match and from his first appearance, Donovan had him at the top of the list for penalties and free kicks – just the vote of confidence he needed to rejuvenate his passion for the game and scoring goals.
“We didn’t really need to think too hard about whether we wanted Rubio here or not. He is a player I know very well and had seen play in person multiple times. He’s a great human being and when we had the opportunity to get him it was a no-brainer for us,” Donovan said. “Once we got him here training and getting fit, it was clear that he was going to be our best player. That included penalties and free kicks – he was the guy who was going to produce goals. Once you saw his quality from day one in training, it was very clear that he was a guy that we wanted on the ball in every dangerous situation.”
After scoring five goals in just four matches for the USL Championship club, he felt vindicated that he was ready to return to top division soccer. That is when Real Salt Lake came calling.
MAJOR LEAGUE OPPORTUNITY
In 2020, RSL struggled to score goals. The lowest-scoring team in the Western Conference, the quickest way to climb the standings in 2021 would be to add goal-scoring prowess up front. So adding a player who showed the ability to hold the ball up, get in behind defenses and find the back of the net was a top off-season priority.
For Head Coach Freddy Juarez, Rubin’s name was not a new one to scout. Back when Rubin was a teen in Oregon, Juarez had watched him play on several occasions and knew just the type of player he was then.
It didn’t take long for him to show that with a renewed sense of confidence, he could be just what RSL was hoping for.
“I knew he was a good, positive kid. I also thought he was the type of player who could help. I knew what he could do with the ball at his feet, but I didn’t know if he could give us the verticality that we wanted,” Juarez said. “He was scoring goals and connecting in the small-sided games. Then we started playing 11-a-side and we started seeing the timing of his runs and we knew we got a good one. Then we saw the energy he puts in when pressing. He’s a well-rounded footballer. A true nine that plays between the center backs and can change your rhythm. I think we have a well-rounded number nine. A goal-scorer. A contributor both on and off the ball.”
What impressed Juarez even more was the type of person he had grown into.
Through all of the roadblocks that had appeared in front of him throughout his young career, Rubin remained positive. He had been taught early in his life that in remaining a light of optimism, even the most daunting of obstacles become surmountable.
Even coming off of what he described as his lowest point, that positivity was evident to Donovan when Rubin joined San Diego.
“What stands out most to me about Rubio is his demeanor every day. He always has a smile on his face. Teammates love being around him. He’s a joy to work with every day. He’s competitive and he’s committed to what he does,” he said. “What stands out most is how enjoyable it is to be around him every day and watch him compete, but also watch him interact with his teammates. It was a true joy for me.”
Juarez echoed that sentiment after spending six weeks with him in preseason.
“He’s still just 25 years old and he’s very mature. He’s seen a lot of things at a young age and he is positive – he’s always smiling,” Juarez said. “What else could you want?”
If that wasn’t enough, one of RSL’s locker room leaders expressed the same sentiment when asked about Rubin’s transition into RSL’s squad.
Himself a beacon of positivity, Damir Kreilach saw similar traits in Rubin as he quickly worked himself into the banter within the team.
It seems a small thing, but at team meals while RSL was in Arizona, Rubin was constantly bouncing from one table to another, rarely sitting with the same teammates in consecutive meals. He blended smoothly with each of his teammates in both English and Spanish, whether they were veterans or entering their first season.
“He’s a very positive person and that’s something we need in our team,” Kreilach said. “He has brought us to a higher level in these six weeks. The work rate, the effort, the energy … they are all big for us.”
RETURN TO GLORY
Now preparing for his first MLS match as Real Salt Lake takes on Minnesota United on Saturday (6 p.m. MT; KMYU, KSL TV app, ESPN 700) at Allianz Field, Rubin is ready to show that all he needed was an opportunity.
As a player who showed so much promise in his teen years and felt the pressure to meet those lofty expectations, he is both a victim and a product of early success. While he has plenty of talent, ability and drive to succeed, he has found himself measured through the prism of those early expectations.
At RSL, as with San Diego, he has been seen for who he is now and not what so many hoped he would become. The two, as it turns out, aren’t that far apart.
“I’ve had my ups and downs, but that’s part of football – that’s a part of life. There is no reason I shouldn’t strive to get back where I want to get,” Rubin said. “There is so much talent coming out of America now and everyone is trying to find the next big thing. I think it’s great, but you can’t expect every player to be like Pulisic. It might take someone until they are 24 or 28 to play their best football. We have this pressure, but not every player develops the same way.”
Donovan has seen that story unfold plenty of times.
He has seen countless players come into pro soccer with high expectations only to be judged harshly when they don’t continue on the trajectory others placed on them. Bouncing back from the adversity caused by those expectations is what separates a long career from one that flounders early.
“I think any young player who has a lot of early success has an uphill battle because the expectation levels are set really high from day one and that’s really hard to live up to. A big part of being a pro is being consistent. So when you are lighting it up early on in your career, everyone thinks that’s the level that you’re going to be at forever and it’s just not that easy. It takes a lot of learning and development to become consistent at what you do,” Donovan said. “I’m sure that played to a little bit of Rubio not developing as quickly after he burst onto the scene. It’s clear to me that he’s done a great job staying focused and getting back to that elite level again.”
While it is RSL’s hope that Rubin can help the team get back to its former glory, the pressure doesn’t rest solely on his shoulders. With the addition of Anderson Julio on the wing and the arrival of Bobby Wood by July 1, there is not only a wealth of players to get the ball to him when the season starts on Saturday, but competition for the starting role on the horizon.
Bringing in Wood could have been a deterrent for many players seeking their redemption and needing playing time to achieve it.
For Rubin, it was just another reason to be optimistic about the coming season.
Before the signing was announced, Juarez met with Rubin to talk about what it meant for the striker to have a player come in at his same position. Rubin’s response was music to his coach’s ears.
“I expect it,” Juarez recounts him saying. “I’m going to compete and my job is to make the decision for you tough.”
While his transition into the team was seamless, so was his on-field adaptation to the group. Throughout preseason scrimmages, he found himself on the score sheet in many different ways, scoring with either foot from several spots on the field and in varying situations. In a preseason match against the Colorado Rapids, he didn’t score, but his ability to occupy center backs, hold the ball up and play the role of creator helped RSL coast to a 3-0 victory that wasn’t as close as the final score implied.
Whether it’s on the practice field or in matches, his teammates have found a forward that will do what it takes to win.
“It’s very easy to play with him. He talks a lot. He coaches a lot. He has experience to help every one of us. He’s a team player and that’s what it’s all about. He’s shown what he can do and everyone believes in him,” Kreilach said. “He’s on the right path. The way he trains and the way he performs are big time. To come back the way he has is very positive and he’s a great addition to our roster.”
According to Donovan, that level of faith is just what Rubin needs to succeed.
If that continues and he is able to find his footing at the MLS level, there are no limits to what he can hope to reach.
“What Rubio needs to maximize his potential is just opportunity. I don’t see why he can’t be a player that gets looked at for the national team again. He has all the ability necessary to play at the highest level. He moves well, he’s fast, he’s technically gifted, he’s good in the air, he’s great in front of goal. He’s a very good human being who works very hard. There’s nothing he doesn’t do well,” Donovan said. “He has all the ability and I think getting the opportunity now is what he needs and hopefully he gets that at RSL.”
For Rubin, the objectives are simple. Score goals. Help RSL win games. Then make decisions difficult for Juarez and U.S. National Team Head Coach Gregg Berhalter.
It’s not just his goal. He views it as his destiny. And no matter how many obstacles have been thrown into his path throughout his career, that objective hasn’t changed.
Maybe it was his upbringing. Maybe it is the inspiration of teammates like Jozy Altidore that had faith in him at a young age. Maybe it is the same confidence shown by Diego Maradona and Landon Donovan and now Freddy Juarez and all of his teammates at Real Salt Lake.
Whatever the reason, Rubin is brimming with confidence and optimism that he will find the success to reach all of his goals.
“I think I can help RSL and score a lot of goals, chase some championships and get back with the national team,” he said. “I was born to do this. I’ll continue to grind and continue to work. I feel like I’m still young. I still have a lot in front of me and I’m eager to get back to where I want to be.”
RSL opens the 2021 regular season on the road on Saturday against Minnesota United before returning to Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday, May 1 against rival Sporting Kansas City. Tickets are on sale beginning Monday at 2 p.m. MT at RSL.com/tickets or by calling 844-REAL-TIX (844-732-5849).
