Rapids leading scorer Rubio out for up to five weeks with knee injury

The Colorado Rapids forward Diego Rubio will be unavailable for up to five weeks after undergoing a successful arthroscopic procedure to remove a loose body in his right knee, the MLS club said on Monday.

NEWS: Forward @DiegoRubio_ has undergone successful surgery on his right knee.

Wishing him a speedy recovery!

📰 » https://t.co/EFbT2hHEfe pic.twitter.com/EsSePyne9d

— Colorado Rapids (@ColoradoRapids) February 27, 2023

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The Rapids announced that the 29-year-old Chilean international is expected to be sidelined between two to five weeks as he recovers.

Rubio was Colorado’s leading scorer in 2022 with 16 goals and seven assists in 30 matches (28 starts).

That equaled the Rapids’ single-season scoring record and set a new club record for single-season goal contributions.

In the absence of Rubio, Colorado are expected to lean upon homegrown forward Darren Yapi and offseason trade acquisition Kevin Cabral in the No. 9 spot.

The 18-year-old US youth international Yapi started Colorado’s season-opening 4-0 win over Seattle Sounders on Sunday.

Rubio has played in MLS since 2016, spending three seasons with Sporting Kansas City before moving to Colorado in 2019. He has 50 goals and 30a in 149 league matches.