Real Salt Lake and United States midfielder Diego Luna said that the broken nose he sustained in a friendly against Costa Rica in January was a “life-changing” event for him.
While the injury cut short Luna’s contribution that night, the assist he served up to Brian White in that match, as well as the sight of blood streaming down his face after taking an elbow to the nose sent a message to U.S manager Mauricio Pochettino that he had the desire to make an impact with the national team.
That kind of upward trajectory is one that Luna hopes to continue in the current training camp ahead of two friendlies in the next week against Turkey and Switzerland, as well as the upcoming Concacaf Gold Cup.
“I think that that experience for me was, I could say life-changing as it gave me…I think it added an opportunity for me to come back into more camps and show the type of the grit and the hunger that I have to play and represent for my country,” Luna told reporters on Tuesday. “And I think, yeah, it showcases Mauricio really liked that about me and really liked the fight that I had.
“And I think that shows other players that that’s what’s needed in this team and to fight through everything.”
Luna has quickly risen up the ranks of the U.S. player pool since the start of the year, and he’s continued to perform at club level for RSL, scoring eight goals and adding four assists. Luna added that the belief Pochettino has in him allows him to play with a clear head on the field, and play to his strengths.
“I think the confidence allows me to stay comfortable and allows me to express myself on the field,” Luna said. “And I think that’s one of the biggest things is when there’s no added pressure when you come into camp from the coaching staff, or from what do they think, or what do they expect from you.
“It’s very clear what they want and what their expectations are and to allow me to fully enjoy myself when I’m out on the field.”
The grit that Luna displayed has been a rare sight when it comes to recent USMNT performances. The U.S. lost a pair of matches at the Concacaf Nations League last March to Panama and Canada, and looked lackluster in both games. The U.S. also failed to make the knockout round of the Copa América last summer. It’s a trend that defender Walker Zimmerman said the team is attempting to address.
“I don’t think there’s any denying that some of our performances have fallen short over the past year to 18 months,” he said. “It’s something that us as players, we obviously aren’t satisfied with and it’s a big focal point for this camp.”
Zimmerman added that the entire 27-player roster is aware that with the 2026 World Cup a little over a year away, there is plenty at stake in this camp and beyond.
“I think it starts with our environment every day,” he said. “Ultimately, I think if you ask anyone to write down 26 names for next year, there’d be a lot of spots that people would objectively say are available, and we as players have to recognize that and take this opportunity that we have each and every day of training, each and every camp that we get called into to try and be one of those spots.
“When you set that tone individually and that goal for yourself, and now you have everyone who’s in camp trying to do the same thing, that level, it’s going to go up and you want us to be more competitive, more feisty on the field.
“Well that starts in training and that starts with us getting onto each other on your team against the opponent. It’s just a great challenge and that’s what we have to do to make sure we keep elevating.”
The U.S. plays Turkey on Saturday in East Hartford, Connecticut, followed by another friendly against Switzerland on June 10 in Nashville, Tennessee. It begins group play in the Gold Cup against Trinidad and Tobago on June 15 in San Jose, California.
