Young USA star not selected for USMNT Olympic squad
Real Salt Lake youngster Diego Luna has reportedly not been picked to play in the USMNT Olympic squad at the upcoming Summer Olympics.
The 20-year-old budding star was previously not chosen by Marko Mitrovic in Team USA’s June camp. The initial decision, however, did not necessarily mean that Luna would not eventually be named in the Olympic team.
In fact, Mitrovic hinted back in May that Luna could still be picked to go to France. “Listen, Diego is one of the players that we are considering,” USA’s U23 coach told reporters after announcing the June roster. “He was in consideration for November camp, unfortunately he was injured. In March camp he was with us. Now there are some other guys there that we want to evaluate.”
“The doors are open for every player and for Diego not being in June camp, like for any other player that is not in June camp, doesn’t mean that they are not going to be in for the Olympic Games.”
Luna reportedly declined offer to be a Team USA alternate
Nevertheless, reporter Tom Bogert now claims that Luna is once again being overlooked. While the youngster was not selected for Team USA, he was apparently asked by U.S. Soccer to be an alternative in the squad. This would potentially give Luna a chance to feature in the squad if another player suffers an injury. According to Bogert, Luna, however, declined the offer.
The decision by U.S. Soccer and Mitrovic is certainly an odd one. After all, the youngster has netted four goals and added five assists for Real during just 19 Major League Soccer matches this season.
Only star duo Cristian Arango and Andres Gomez have more combined direct goal involvements for the club than Luna. The Utah side is currently second in the Western Conference standings at the moment.
Nicknamed ‘Moon Boy,’ Luna was previously a star player at the 2022 CONCACAF U20 tournament. In seven total games at the competition, the creative midfielder scored a goal and added five assists. He was a key piece of the puzzle in America’s triumph at the tournament.
A year later, Luna then featured at the U20 World Cup. Although the Americans were knocked out in the quarterfinals by Uruguay, the Real star led his team with three assists. The stellar display was certainly noticed by USMNT officials. Luna earned his first senior USA cap back in January during a matchup with Slovenia.
Team USA begins their tournament run on July 24th
The aforementioned triumph at the 2022 CONCACAF U20 tournament gave the Americans a spot in the upcoming Olympics. While Luna was a star player for his team at the competition, he will have to watch his teammates compete in France from afar.
Without Luna, the Team USA was beaten 2-0 by Japan in a friendly during the June camp. The young side will next face Paraguay and Spain in France in the coming weeks as a late preparation for the Olympic games. Team USA will kick off their tournament in Group A against hosts France on July 24th. They are then scheduled to face New Zealand and Guinea in the following days. Assuming the advance to the knockout stage, the quarterfinals begin on August 2nd.
Photo credits: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire : IMAGO / Icon Sportswire