OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS U.S. U-20 men's national team coach Tab Ramos has had to juggle rosters and create improvisational lineups because of player availability and club obligations. Now, however, the former U.S. international will have all of his first-choice players available and the team will be at full strength.

The most significant addition is Rubio Rubin who has only played with the U-20s once since 2014. The Beaverton, Ore., native has long been thought of as a core member of Ramos’ squad but over the past year he has been a first-team regular in the Eredivisie with FC Utrecht and has been earning call-ups to the full U.S. national team.

Despite his absence Rubin has always been in close contact with the U-20 team. Not released for January’s World Cup qualifying tournament, he watched some of the U.S. matches in the middle of the night in the Netherlands. Following a brief appearance in a March friendly, Rubin will finally, fully be back with the squad next week following Utrecht's final game of the season. 

“It’s exciting for me and it’s exciting for the whole team,” Rubin told American Soccer Now. “It’s going to be fun and I’m really looking forward to it. The most important thing is the first game–get it done and get the 'W.' We’re not even looking to the second game.

"I’m glad I got this opportunity and it’s a huge opportunity and blessing. I am really looking forward to representing my country in the World Cup for the first time.”

The Americans lucked into a favorable World Cup draw and will open on May 30th against Myanmar before facing host nation New Zealand and then Ukraine. The team's expectations are running high and Rubin, who played 1,800 Eredivisie minutes this season, will be expected to lead the attack.

In his only tournament with the U-20s Rubin scored four goals in four games to lead the team to a second-place finish in the 2014 Dallas Cup. Real Salt Lake midfielder Jordan Allen, also on the U.S. U-20 World Cup team, played alongside Rubin at that tournament and is eager to get back on the field with the attacker.

“He's going to be very important to us because he's the closest we have on the squad to a natural forward,” Allen said. “We're going to be relying on him to create and finish. He's strong on the ball and he's technical. We're going to need a lot from him.

“I have a good on-the-field relationship with him," Allen added. "I think at the Dallas Cup, I gave him two or three assists. Hopefully we can reestablish that leading up to World Cup.”

After the Dallas Cup U.S. national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann identified Rubin as one of a few young players who seemed ready for the senior team. He was called up for the first time in August 2014 and earned his first cap in November when he started in a friendly against Colombia. In November, he returned to the full national team setup for friendlies against Denmark and Switzerland.

“It helped me out a lot,” Rubin said of his time under Klinsmann's watch. “It gave me a lot of confidence to go in with the national team and come back with my club. Seeing players like Jozy, Clint Dempsey, and Michael Bradley—some of the top guys on that team—and seeing how that act as professionals.

"On the field, they don’t take plays off. Even in practice, they all want to win. They’re all fighters. I try to bring that same mentality back to my club. I’m trying to win even the little 4v4 and 5v5 drills. It showed me I can play at that level.”

Rubin, 19, enjoyed an impressive rookie season with Utrecht, earning significant minutes despite his youth and making a noticeable impact at multiple positions. Utrecht is currently in 12^th place in the Eredivisie ahead of this season’s finale against Vitesse.

That said, he did struggle at times. In the middle of the season Utrecht coach Robby Alflen removed Rubin from the starting lineup for a stretch of games. Rubin recalls being disappointed but he redoubled his efforts and eventually reclaimed his place in the starting XI.

“I honestly think it was a good year for me,” Rubin said. “There was a point where I went on the bench for a while but that wasn’t bad for me and I think I learned a lot being on the bench. It pushed me to continue to work hard when things go wrong. I learned to find a way to dig deep inside and find a way to get back into the starting lineup. In training I was working hard and had the mentality to get my starting spot back.

"It really helped me a lot. It helped me to continue to see what it takes.”

Looking back at his first professional season, Rubin is happy that he made the decision to start his career in the Eredivisie. The top Dutch league is known for its ability to foster and develop young players and Rubin has seen this first hand. He believes he has become a much better player over the last year and credits both the high-level coaching and also the opportunity to see first-team minutes.

“One of the main reasons why the Dutch league is so good at producing young players is that if you’re good enough as a young player you’re going to play,” Rubin said. “They’re always going to give young players chances. Fortunately, for me, it happened at age 18.

"Every day you’re learning new things: formations, possession, the technical part where players are just good with the ball, from the goalkeeper to the strikers." Players here are "so patient with the ball and they love to possess it. That’s something I really had to adjust to because U.S. Soccer is not known for possessing the ball yet.”

Though a well-rounded and technical player, Rubin knows he needs to work on his composure in front of goal. In 22 games for Utrecht he scored just three times—a number he is determined to improve upon next season.

Now, of course, Rubin's focus is squarely on the U-20 World Cup. While with the U.S. U-17 team Rubin scored 14 goals in 37 games. In New Zealand he will have the opportunity to lead the U-20s and showcase his considerable talent.

“I think we have a lot of potential,” Rubin said. “I think if we come as a team and if we work hard and focus on winning our first game, I think we can go far in this tournament. At the end of the day, we’re going there to win the tournament—we’re not going for a vacation.

"That’s the American mentality—to try to win. At the end of the day, our mentality is to win this tournament and I don’t see any reason why we can’t.”

Brian Sciaretta is an American Soccer Now columnist and an ASN 100 panelist. Follow him on Twitter.