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Los Angeles Football Club could have their sights set on another forward for the future.
A report from Goal.com’s Ives Galarcep suggests U.S. Men’s National Team forward Rubio Rubin is in contract negotiations with Major League Soccer to return to the U.S. and that LAFC are among the interested teams.
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Rubin spent last year between three clubs in Europe. He started with Utrecht in the Eredivisie before leaving to Danish side Silkeborg, then finally winding up at Stabaek in Norway to close out the season. Just 21 years old, he started strongly when signing with Utrecht at 18, but he fell out of favor over time there and ended up bouncing around.
Rubin is currently in Carson training with the USMNT ahead of its friendly with Bosnia and Herzegovnia on Jan. 28. He is also the only player in camp not signed to a team.
If he signs with MLS, Rubin will have to go through the allocation order, which is used to determine where returning USMNT players go in the league. LAFC did have the No. 1 spot in the allocation order until it traded the spot to FC Dallas as part of the deal for defender Walker Zimmerman.
LAFC could still get the services of Rubin, if the 10 teams ahead of them are not interested in him. It was reported that defending MLS Cup winner Toronto FC would also be interested in Rubin, but they are at the bottom of the allocation ranking at No. 23.
Rubin was a breakout star for the U.S. during the U-20 World Cup in New Zealand. He scored a brace against the hosts to propel the United States into the knockout rounds. His goal against Columbia pushed the USMNT into the quarterfinals where they lost to eventual champions Serbia in a penalty shootout.
So it seems possible but there are some hurdles to overcome first. If there’s more to this story, we’ll let you know.
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