Diego Luna’s hopes of creating the U.S. males’s Olympic roster this summer time reportedly ended on Saturday, however whereas many gamers could be disenchanted with the information, Luna used it as motivation en path to a Man of the Match efficiency.
Luna scored as soon as and added three assists as Actual Salt Lake rolled to a 5-2 residence win over visiting Atlanta United. The 20-year-old attacker set the stage with an early help on Matt Crooks’ first minute purpose earlier than including two further helpers and an insurance coverage purpose within the second half.
Regardless of having a constructive first half of the MLS season, Luna just isn’t set to be included in Marko Mitrovic’s 18-player Olympic roster when it’s launched on Monday afternoon. Though there’s some disappointment in Luna not being a part of the People’ journey to France this month, the dual-national is staying targeted on the job at hand with RSL.
“I’m grateful to be right here and to have the ability to keep right here with RSL on this nice run of kind and proceed to do stuff like this and hopefully extra, proper?” Luna stated postmatch. “So I’m comfortable, targeted. I’m right here with RSL and I’m going to proceed to work onerous.
“.. It’s the identical disappointment while you get information that you just don’t wish to hear. All people offers with it day by day,” he added. “And I feel it’s simply that very same feeling, perhaps to a unique excessive, however I feel it’s all about how we react to that state of affairs and making the correct choice.”
Luna made a direct constructive impression throughout the 2023 season, scoring seven mixed objectives and including three assists throughout all competitions. A former U.S. under-20 males’s nationwide group standout, Luna has taken these stats to new heights in 2024.
He has 5 objectives and 12 assists to his title in MLS play this season, serving to RSL to a present second place spot within the Western Convention (regardless of having equal factors as West-leading LAFC). Pablo Mastroeni’s males have respectively the second-best residence and away information within the West, dropping simply 3 times in 22 matches so far.
Luna has been a significant a part of RSL’s first-half success and though many followers and gamers alike would’ve appreciated to see him a part of america’ return to the Olympics, Mastroeni is and RSL are lucky to have him for the MLS and Leagues Cup matches that lie forward.
“He’s a participant that performs with a chip on his shoulder,” Mastroeni stated. “Credit score to Diego for his endeavor and, actually, his high quality.. selfishly for me and the remainder of our group, we’ve received a high caliber participant that’s going to be obtainable for the following 4 video games.”