Barely ten days before the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the United States’ national soccer team, USMNT, officially released their 26-man squad with Diego Luna’s name missing.
The 22-year-old, who has been impressive for Real Salt Lake, is one of the key players under head coach Mauricio Pochettino and also a fan favourite.
Luna played an important role in the team’s quest at the Concacaf Gold Cup, where he netted three times, including a brace in their 2-1 win over Guatemala in the semifinal.
He last featured for the USMNT in November when he registered his name on the scoresheet as the American side thrashed Uruguay 5-1 in a friendly.
The pacey winger, who had featured in several commercials ahead of the World Cup, could miss out on the global spectacle due to an injury, per USA Today.
The youngster suffered an early-season knock which forced him out of MLS matches as well as the most recent international window in March.
Luna returned to action, starting for Salt Lake with four goals and two assists in nine league games thus far.
However, he was ignored as Pochettino releases his final list ahead of the Mundial. Speaking on Diego Luna’s exclusion from the USMNT squad to the World Cup, RSL manager Pablo Mastroeni said:
“It’s an interesting decision for me. In 2025, the national team really leaned on him, both as an attacking player and as a mentality piece.
“Pochettino referenced his ability to fight, and I just think that in a (World) Cup where you need a difference maker—some guy who’s gonna come into a game where the stage will never be too big—I just thought that (Luna made sense.).”
How Diego Luna could still make USMNT’s World Cup squad
Although, the former Real Monarchs’ star is billed to watch the grandest affair from home, it is still technically possible for him to receive a last minute call-up.
According to FIFA rules, teams are able to make emergency swaps even after submitting their final squad list on June 1.
So that everyone knows, Diego Luna can still be called up to the USMNT.
It’s a longshot for sure, but not 100% off the table.
The roster does not become official until it is submitted to FIFA on June 1. Once the U.S. submits its final squad, injured players can still be… pic.twitter.com/zBGC7O06kL
— Favian Renkel (@FavianRenkel) May 26, 2026
Managers can pull from their preliminary 55-player squads, should a player suffer a knock up until 24 hours prior to their opening match.
Mauricio Pochettino did not make his preliminary squad available to the public, it is believed that Luna was included on that list, making him eligible until 24 hours before the USMNT’s opening match against Paraguay on June 12 to be called up.
Pochettino names Tim Ream for World Cup
Yankee Scores earlier reported that at 38, Tim Ream is set to become the oldest U.S. player ever to feature in a World Cup, and coach Mauricio Pochettino has entrusted him with the captain’s armband for the tournament.
Ream was filled with emotions during a news conference on Saturday, seated alongside the manager.
