On a weekday morning in March, Chilean striker Diego Rubio pulled his Sporting Kansas City practice jersey onto his shoulders for the first time, and he jogged toward the field to meet his new teammates.
After a few minutes, they split into separate teams for a scrimmage. In a fast-paced game on a shortened field, Rubio was out of sync, seemingly a step late to the action.
But then he found his place. Using only one touch, he unleashed a shot that beat a diving goalkeeper, skimming the ball just inside the post.
Three months later, that initial practice has proven symbolic of Rubio’s introduction to Kansas City.