SAN JOSE — Diego Luna was already a hometown hero within the Bay Space.
The 21-year-old alumnus of the San Jose Earthquakes academy had made good by signing with Actual Salt Lake and establishing himself as a contender for the US males’s nationwide staff roster.
However on Sunday afternoon towards Trinidad and Tobago at PayPal Park, the Sunnyvale native etched his title within the annals of USMNT historical past with a pair of assists, paying off his choice to the Gold Cup roster with a superb total match because the U.S. routed the guests 5-0.
After the sport, not too long ago appointed U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino, a soccer legend in his personal proper, had excessive reward for the previous Palo Alto Soccer Membership participant.
“His performance was very good,” Pochettino mentioned. “He showed his character in the way that he felt the game, then translated it to the pitch. He was really good. I’m so happy about him. And he was at home playing in front of his people.”
United States midfielder Diego Luna (10) reacts after scoring a aim towards Trinidad and Tobago within the first half of a CONCACAF recreation at PayPal Park in San Jose, Calif., on Sunday, June 15, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Space Information Group)
Although the introduced crowd of 12,160 followers didn’t dwell as much as the excessive hopes of many concerned with U.S. soccer, it definitely wasn’t Luna’s fault. He requested double-digit seats for the match and stuffed each single considered one of them.
“I had 30,” Luna mentioned. “They gave me 30 tickets, but I could have gotten more.”
These household and mates who got here to observe him received their cash’s value. It’s not a certainty that Luna will make the roster when the US compiles its roster for the 2026 Males’s World Cup, which can be hosted primarily at American venues.
By then, established stars like Tim Weah, Weston McKennie, Gio Reyna and Christian Pulisic – whose No. 10 jersey Luna sported on Sunday – may have reentered the participant pool. However Luna is seizing his alternative to make a case, and Pochettino is amongst those that have taken discover.
U.S. Males’s Nationwide Staff’s Diego Luna, left, and teammates observe at Stanford College’s Maloney Subject in Stanford, Calif., on Thursday, June 12, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Space Information Group)
After a recreation in January the place Luna performed via a damaged nostril and registered an help regardless of being elbowed within the face by a participant from Costa Rica, Pochettino praised his younger midfielder with a memorably crass description.
“I was very surprised, because it was broken, you know?” Pochettino mentioned after the match. “However I didn’t wish to say something with an excessive amount of drama, as a result of it would scare him. I mentioned, ‘How do you feel?’ He mentioned, ‘Please, coach, let me keep playing, because at least after the half, I’ll exit.’
“The doctor said, ‘Yeah, yeah, OK, you go in.’ And the first action, he assisted, and we scored. I said, ‘Big balls.’”
Now totally recovered from the busted appendage, Luna registered two extra assists on Sunday, and he’s beginning to make himself into a possible first-team possibility for the USMNT shifting ahead.
Trinidad and Tobago goalkeeper Marvin Phillip (1) blocks a shot to the online by United States midfielder Diego Luna (10) within the first half of a CONCACAF recreation at PayPal Park in San Jose, Calif., on Sunday, June 15, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Space Information Group)
“It’s exciting,” Luna mentioned. “It’s building blocks, right? It’s a journey, and that’s what you have to realize, that it’s not just going to change overnight. It’s not going to change over a couple months. It’s going to take time. And this is a great performance to start it off right and build off this.”
The World Cup roster is the subsequent carrot Luna is chasing, and he’s off to a powerful begin thus far.
“Even being in that pool of players for the World Cup is a blessing and an honor,” Luna mentioned. “So just being able to dream about that and being able to have the chance to be selected, it’s a dream. So I’ll continue to work and have a chance to make sure I’m performing, and then at the end of the day, we’ll see what happens.”
U.S. Males’s Nationwide Staff’s Diego Luna, left, and Jack McGlynn observe at Stanford College’s Maloney Subject in Stanford, Calif., on Thursday, June 12, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Space Information Group)
United States midfielder Diego Luna (10) celebrates with teammaets after United States ahead Malik Tillman (17) towards Trinidad and Tobago the primary half of a CONCACAF recreation at PayPal Park in San Jose, Calif., on Sunday, June 15, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Space Information Group)
Initially Printed: June 16, 2025 at 7:25 AM PDT
