HERRIMAN, Utah (Wednesday, May 9, 2023) – Real Salt Lake midfielder **Diego Luna** has been selected by Head Coach Mikey Varas to represent the Red, White and Blue as part of the United States U-20 Men’s Youth National Team at the FIFA U-20 World Cup, kicking off May 20 in Argentina.
Luna played a critical role in helping the United States qualify for the FIFA U-20 World Cup, contributing a tournament leading five assists at the 2022 CONCACAF U-20 Championship, while also scoring a goal of his own. Overall, Luna has recorded four goals and five assists across just 16 matches for the United States U-20 side. He recently traveled with the team to Spain, where he started in matches against France and Serbia.
With Real Salt Lake over the last year, the 19-year-old midfielder has appeared in 18 matches in Major League Soccer play, five of which have come during this 2023 season. Additionally, Luna started for RSL in the Club’s 3-1 win over the Las Vegas Lights (USL) to earn the team’s first-ever road victory in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Earlier this month, Luna appeared on the scoresheet for the first time within the Real Salt Lake umbrella, notching a brace and adding an assist for the Real Monarchs in a 5-1 win over Portland Timbers 2 in MLS NEXT Pro action just 10 days ago.
Luna is the 10th all-time Real Salt Lake player to represent the Claret-and-Cobalt at the FIFA U-20 World Cup, joining current teammate Justen Glad (2017), as well as past RSL players David Ochoa (2019), Danilo Acosta (2017), Sebastian Saucedo (2017), Brooks Lennon (2017), Jordan Allen (2015), Luis Gil (2013), Chris Seitz (2007) and Freddy Adu (2007).
RSL midfielder Moses Nyeman has also traveled with the U-20's as an alternate in case of any injuries before the tournament.Â
The tournament will begin for the United States on Saturday, May 20 against Ecuador, before facing Fiji on Tuesday, May 23 and Slovakia on Friday, May 26 to complete the group stage. The top two finishers of each group will automatically qualify for the knockout stage which could see the United States playing between May 30 and June 1. Fox Sports and Telemundo own the broadcast rights to the tournament in the United States.
The United States is set to head to Buenos Aires, Argentina, seeking its first ever trophy at the FIFA U-20 World Cup. The closest the team has ever come to winning the tournament was a fourth-place finish in 1989. In the past three tournaments, the United States have been eliminated during the Quarterfinal stage. At the most recent tourney in 2019, the United States were knocked out by Ecuador in a 2-1 loss, a match which former RSL Homegrown goalkeeper David Ochoa started.
2023 Season Tickets can be purchased at www.RSL.com/tickets, or by calling 844.Real.Tix.
