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Austin FC signs Chilean forward Diego Rubio to 1-year deal
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AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin FC added Chilean goal scorer Diego Rubio to a one-year contract, the club announced Monday.
Rubio was signed as a free agent and his contract comes with a club option for 2025. He played the past six seasons for the Colorado Rapids and three seasons for Sporting Kansas City before that.
Rubio's best season came in 2022, scoring 16 goals in 30 Major League Soccer matches with seven assists. He logged a career-high in minutes with 2,445 with 39 shots on target and a 72.1% passing percentage. He was hampered by a knee injury last season and played in 16 matches, scoring three goals with four assists. In 2019, Rubio scored 11 goals in his only other season playing more than 2,000 minutes.
"Diego is a proven goal scorer in MLS, and we believe his abilities fit well with the Club’s style of play," said Rodolfo Borrell, Austin FC sporting director. "We want to wish him, his wife, and his four children a warm welcome to Austin."
In his MLS career, Rubio has scored 55 goals with 35 assists from 2016-2023. Before MLS, he played in his native Chile and for Sporting CP's second team, a club in Portugal. He also played for teams in Romania and Norway while on loan, and then went to Real Valladolid CF, a Spanish second division team, in 2015.
"From the perspective of a visiting player at Q2 Stadium, I experienced the incredible passion that Austin FC fans have for their team and their city," Rubio said. "It’s one of the league’s best atmospheres and I can’t wait to play there for the first time as a member of the home team."
Rubio has 12 appearances for the Chilean National Team, his most recent cap coming in March 2023. Since he has a U.S. green card, he's considered a domestic player with a senior team designation for roster purposes.
Austin FC continues its preseason schedule Wednesday in Indio, California at the Coachella Valley Invitational. They'll play three matches there from Feb. 7-14 with the Feb. 11 match against LA Galaxy streamed live on austinfc.com.