The USMNT had an awful time over the last week.

If you aren’t a fan of the team or just don’t pay attention to international soccer, allow me to quickly recap. The US had qualified for the semifinals in the CONCACAF Nations League and, with a roster full of players from European leagues, were expected to make the finals and win a fourth NL title. Instead, a low-block Panamanian side stymied any hopes of that expectation and, after 90 minutes of frustration for the USMNT, an aging forward who plays in Chile, Cecilio Waterman, scored a spectacular goal and threw the Americans into disarray. That loss was multiplied when the team faced Canada in the third place match and lost again, 2-1, to the Jesse Marsch-led team (which is a whole other story full of drama).

The week certainly generated plenty of disappointed players and fans who are questioning the state of the team heading into the 2026 World Cup. Even the coaching approach of vaunted new-hire Mauricio Pochettino has been criticized. Things are not good.

However, in the black sky of midnight, there was a solitary shining star.

After struggling mightily against the Panamanian low-block, Pochettino made a key change to his lineup for his second match of the week, against Canada. Diego Luna, who currently plays for Real Salt Lake in MLS, was inserted into the midfield, with hopes that his dynamic playmaking abilities might shine. And they did.

While the rest of the American lineup continued to flounder and lack bite, Luna was all over the field. Dropping back for passes, pressing the attack, setting up the lone goal of the night with a brilliant three-way combination with Timothy Weah and Patrick Agyemang, he was everywhere in the best possible way. In a lineup full of players who seemed content with finishing in fourth place, he was gritty, gutsy, and a source of hope for a program packed with talent but little aggression. He lived up to his January camp nickname of “big balls” in spades. While the match was dark for USMNT, he shone like a star.

After the match, Luna talking about his apporach with GOAL "I like to be creative. That's what's gotten me here. I'm not the tallest, not the fastest, not the strongest, right, but it's the creativity and the risk-taking that's gotten me here." That creativity is the hallmark of his game and one that has opened doors for the 5’8” latino kid from southern California. The son of former San Jose Earthquake Alberto Luna, Diego grew up surrounded by the game. After coming up in the San Jose youth program, Luna made the jump to Arizona-based Barcelona Residency Academy. The tools he brought to Casa Grande only got more useful over his years with Barcelona Academy and, in 2021, he made the jump to El Paso Locomotive and USL Championship.

Diego brought his signature flash to El Paso and became a fan favorite because of it.

In an interview from 2023, Luna described his time with El Paso as vital to his current mindset. “Everyone there all gave me the confidence, supported me on and off the field,” Luna said. “I don’t think without El Paso and without everyone that’s helped me there, I would be where I’m at today.” He was a wonderkind in Sun City, scoring 13 goals and nine assists in 43 appearances for Locomotive. Phil Baki, one of the founders of the Seriously Loco podcast, was in the stands during Luna’s time in El Paso and remembers how matches felt different with him on the field. “The air in the stadium was more charged when he was in possession because literally anything was possible and not once did he feel like a kid out there. He was outclassing grown men at 17-18 years old and completely took over most matches he was involved in.”

Not only was he a performer on the field, he was a fan favorite in a town with a large latino population. People from the area still talk about how much fun he was to watch and his connection with the fans. Baki touched on his sincerity when asked about that connection. “He always made it clear that he took playing for El Paso very seriously and he always had time for supporters. For being so clearly gifted, he is incredibly down to earth and never made anyone feel like he was above them or above the level of El Paso Locomotive.”

After two strong seasons with El Paso, he signed with Real Salt Lake for a then-record amount of cash. Baki and the rest of El Paso fans knew it was coming, “I think it was blatantly obvious to most that we were on borrowed time with Diego from the beginning. He was so clearly talented and his potential ceiling so high that really we just wanted to enjoy what time we had with him in Locomotive blue.” At the time of the signing, Locomotive GM Andrew Forrest was ecstatic about Luna’s signing with MLS and what it meant for the next generation of talent. "To a man on this team, everyone is happy for Diego and this opportunity…To be able to tell this story to players around the country, the world that you can come here at 17, work hard to get on the field, to play well and what opportunities can be afforded to you.”

As he’s worked through multiple levels of the soccer pyramid, Luna has added to signature look. He’s bleached his tips and added 10-20 tattoos (maybe more) all over his body, His low center of gravity and stocky build already drew attention, but now he has a signature look that always draws a comment. He’s also added to his game, becoming a brilliant passer, a dynamic attacker, a player that draws attention and creates highlights. John Morrissey, known for his work analyzing USL player performances, highlights Luna’s footwork and balance: “He’s incredibly tricky with the ball at his feet, and he’s innately great at manipulating his low center of gravity to dodge defenders; we saw it in the USL and have continued to see it all the way up to the international level.”

Luna has blossomed even further since signing for Real Salt Lake, becoming an important part of their attack. Last season he netted 8 goals and delivered 8 assists and this year has begun much like the last. But his development isn’t only in his play and looks, he’s worked to develop his ability to speak to people (famously taking a job at Dutch Bros when he arrived in Salt Lake so he’d have to engage in conversation with strangers) and is attending personal therapy. He may be a work in progress, but he’s always working on that progress.

Diego’s broken nose is now the stuff of USMNT legend.

For all his swashbuckling play that fans find so appealing, he’s struggled to attract the attention of USMNT coaches. Though he had played for both USMNT U20 and U23 squads, he was never considered as a serious contender for national team minutes. Last year, with the USMNT U23 team heading to the Olympics, Luna was snubbed again for a full roster spot, instead offered an alternate position. He declined, but was confident that his progress would pay off. “I just put my head down, work and continue to play well. Things happen in special ways, no USMNT Olympic call-up but I am an MLS All-Star.” Charles Boehm, who covers both the MLS and USMNT, was baffled by the decision to not include Luna for the Olympic squad and described the decision to pass on him as “cold.”

With Pochettino taking over the program and his excellence becoming undeniable, Luna was called into January camp for two friendlies against Slovenia and Costa Rica. While his performance was great against the first opponent, it was the second match that would add him to annals of USMNT lore. 16 minutes into the match, Luna took an elbow to his face and went down, suffering a broken nose. Instead of exiting the game, Luna insisted on staying in, regardless of a bloody nose and blackened eyes. Five minutes later, he delivered a perfectly weighted pass into the box that Brian White banged into the net for the first goal. Legend material. After the match, Pochettino made his now famous comment about Diegos’ heuvos. “I was surprised, his nose was broken. I didn’t want to say anything because he was bleeding! I said, ‘How do you feel?’ He said, ‘Coach, please let me keep playing because at least after halftime, I'll go out.' The doctor said, 'Yeah, OK, you go on,' and the first action, assist and we scored. I said, big balls!" That performance earned Luna his call up with the full national team last week.

Diego Luna is the poster child for how the American pyramid should work: multiple routes for different kinds of players, focused on generating the best talent. Charles Boehm, a soccer journalist who has covered MLS and the national team points out that Luna’s path to his current position was a deliberate choice. “With his decision to leave the Earthquakes academy and cut his teeth among pros in USL, Luna consciously took a road less traveled to reach MLS, and it turned out to be a wise choice.” That decision rapidly sharpened his talent and pushed him to quickly develop. Luna’s time in El Paso in Championship offered a chance for him to deliver on a big stage playing against professionals, which set himself up for a move to a division one league and, now, a chance to become a USMNT star. Boehm is confident that he’ll have offers to move to Europe. “I would expect him to be similarly thoughtful about when, where and how to make the move to Europe, and not go somewhere just to go. He surely knows that if he keeps producing in MLS and drawing attention when given the chance at international level, options will open up for him in the coming months and years.”

Luna’s smile is as contagious as his style of play.

Luna brings something the current crop of admittedly superstar USMNT players lack. Blaming the USMNT player pool of giving up or playing without heart is reasonable, especially after the lackluster play in Nations League last week. On that field, Luna took the moment by the horns and refused to give up. He played with an edge that our more talented players couldn’t seem to muster and may have earned a World Cup roster spot in the process. Pulisic and company can get up for the big opponents on the important stages, but getting there requires winning the smaller matches against lower-ranked teams. You don’t get to play Mexico in the final without beating Panama in the semis.

The hope for USMNT fans is that his standout performance in back-to-back windows will earn him more call-ups and playing time as we ramp towards next year’s World Cup. At the same time, the rest of the roster sheet, full of stars playing in European leagues, needs to start shining as brightly as Luna and adopt some of the edge that he has in spades. It’s clear that years of development and hard work are paying off and the world is ready to see what Diego Luna can bring to the largest stage.

- Dan Vaughn