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The U.S. men's national team revealed its official 26-player squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on May 26, and it came with one stunning absence: Diego Luna.
The 22-year-old standout midfielder for MLS club Real Salt Lake was not only a beloved figure among USMNT supporters, but also one of the most pivotal players under head coach Mauricio Pochettino in 2025, racking up 16 caps and seven goal contributions in 945 minutes of action that year. Luna proved indispensable during the U.S.'s Concacaf Gold Cup final run, netting three goals in total, including a brace in the 2–1 semifinal victory against Guatemala. In his most recent national team appearance back in November, he started the friendly against Uruguay and found the net, helping his side cruise to a commanding 5–1 triumph.
Luna had been widely expected to appear on soccer's biggest stage this summer, having already been featured in multiple World Cup promotional campaigns, USMNT kit advertisements, and as one of 20 players included in the tournament's official Panini Sticker Collection.
The young talent sustained an early-season knee injury that kept him out of three MLS fixtures and caused him to miss the March international window; however, he has since made a full recovery and returned to top form, serving as a key starter for Salt Lake with four goals and two assists across nine league appearances so far. Despite this, Luna was left out of Pochettino's final plans.
"It's a curious call for me," RSL head coach Pablo Mastroeni said regarding Luna's World Cup omission. "In 2025, the national team really relied on him, both as an attacking threat and as a mentality piece. Pochettino spoke about his fighting spirit, and I just believe that in a [World] Cup where you need someone who can change a game—someone for whom the moment will never be too big—I just felt that [Luna made sense.]."
Luna will most likely be watching soccer's biggest spectacle from home this summer; however, it is technically not out of the question for him to receive a last-minute call-up.
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How Diego Luna Could Earn World Cup Call-Up
As of June 1, all nations' squads for the World Cup are locked in; however, teams are permitted to make emergency replacements, drawing from their preliminary 55-player pools, in the event of an injury up until 24 hours before their opening World Cup fixture. Although U.S. Soccer never officially released their preliminary list—as FIFA did not require teams to make that information public—it is widely believed that Luna was included on that list, making him eligible to be called up until 24 hours before the USMNT's opening match against Paraguay on June 12.
USMNT starting center back Chris Richards is currently sidelined, having been diagnosed on May 21 with two torn ligaments in his ankle, an injury sustained during a Premier League match with Crystal Palace. It remains unclear whether and when Richards will return to full fitness, having already missed Palace's Europa Conference League final victory on May 27 as well as the USMNT's friendly against Senegal on Sunday. He was reportedly training separately on Tuesday, and his availability for the World Cup remains uncertain.
Should Richards be ruled out of the tournament, Luna could potentially be called in to fill his spot, despite playing a completely different position. Pochettino named five center backs in his final roster but only four central midfielders, an imbalance that has drawn some criticism. As such, it is not inconceivable that Pochettino could opt to bolster his midfield options instead.