U.S. Soccer Fans Outraged Over Diego Luna's World Cup Snub

US men's national soccer team (USMNT) head coach Mauricio Pochettino has decided on his final roster for the 2026 FIFA World Cup next month and while there was never going to be enough room for every player that fans love, the absence of rising star Diego Luna has many fans furious.

The reported 26-man roster was revealed on Saturday by The Guardian, so it's not yet official per the USMNT. Nevertheless, just about every leak and report coming out of the USMNT has indicated that Luna is off the squad.

Luna is only 22 years old and has been a rising star on the USMNT for the past several years. In just 18 caps for the team, he has four goals, three of which came in last year's CONCACAF Gold Cup in crucial wins over Costa Rica and Guatemala. Just six months ago he scored a goal in a friendly against Uruguay.

More importantly, he's been in some of the marketing for the World Cup, which should have suggested that he was seen as a lock to make the roster.

And while he has been dealing with a muscle injury that has limited him in club play for Real Salt Lake in MLS, the consensus has been that he'd be healthy for the World Cup.

"Gutted"

As a result, fans have taken to social media to either lament the missed opportunity for the young superstar or to mock the Pochettino for a short-sighted decision:

"After what he did for almost a year for team USA when Pulisic refused to play and this is how he gets repaid. Of course he wouldn't have been a starter by any means but a 22yr old who performed that way a little over a year ago should be on the roster for experience at the least," one user remarked on X.

"They're gonna take Gregg Berhalters son (nepotism and very mid player) and Christian Roldan (also an extremely bland and mid player), but leave a fiery and energetic sub who has played consistently that last year or two with the USMNT. You're sacrificing passion for what exactly?" wrote another.

"Diego Luna being plastered all over the media promoting the USMNT just for him not to be going to the World Cup is kind of wild tbh," a third wrote.

The silver lining for Luna is that he's only 22 and will still be in the prime of his career for the 2030 and 2034 World Cups. If he continues to play to his potential, he'll be impossible to leave off the squad in future big-time tournaments.

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This story was originally published May 23, 2026 at 2:55 PM.