‘I was upset for him’: how Real Salt Lake reacted to Diego Luna’s USMNT exclusion
Summary
Real Salt Lake coach Pablo Mastroeni was surprised that Diego Luna and Zavier Gozo were left off the US men’s national soccer team for the World Cup. Luna, a key player in 2025, and Gozo, a rising young talent, both did not make the final roster announced by coach Mauricio Pochettino.Key Facts
- Diego Luna played an important role for the US team in 2025 as both an attacker and a strong team presence.
- Zavier Gozo is a young player who scored 6 goals and made 4 assists in 14 MLS matches this season.
- Neither Luna nor Gozo were selected for the 26-man US World Cup squad.
- Luna missed part of Real Salt Lake training recently due to hamstring tightness.
- Players found out about their World Cup status by email after training on Friday.
- Gozo was disappointed but motivated to work harder to make the national team in the future.
- Gozo has an Ivorian father but had no contact from the Ivory Coast national team despite reported interest.
- Coach Mastroeni believed both players could have been valuable as “wild card” options to change game outcomes.
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