Former USMNT Star Offers Advice to Diego Luna After World Cup Squad Snub

Today is when the official USMNTWorld Cup squad announcement will be revealed by the USMNT head coach, Mauricio Pochettino.

Despite the USMNT World Cup squad announcement yet to be revealed, the squad was reportedly leaked, and it revealed certain players being left out, including Diego Luna.

Luna had a big 2025 with the USMNT during the Gold Cup and was one of the key players for Mauricio Pochettino. Luna also played in friendly matches after the Gold Cup in preparation for the World Cup.

Luna has been playing for Real Salt Lake in the MLS and was seen as one of the players set to be a part of the USMNT World Cup squad.

Following the reports from The Athletic and The Guardian on the leaked USMNT World Cup squad, former USMNT player Sacha Kljestan talked about Luna missing out on the squad for this year's World Cup.

Sacha Kljestan on Diego Luna Missing World Cup

On the MLS 360 Show, Sacha Kljestan talked about Diego Luna potentially missing out on the USMNT World Cup squad despite making 17 appearances for the national team last year.

Kljestan talked about himself missing out from the 2010 World Cup USMNT squad and believes to understand what Luna is going through now.

Kljestan said, "I've been through what Diego Luna has gone through, the 2010 World Cup...I didn't let one decision go against me, didn't let that blow the rest of my career, and so, Diego Luna, you still have 12 more years of your career. 15, maybe."

The former USMNT midfielder continued to advise Luna and said, "I tried to prove a point until the day I stopped playing, and then at one point, you know, Bob Bradley said something to me many years later. He said, ‘You know what, maybe I got that one wrong. Maybe you deserved to go in 2010, and it is what it is.' It's one tournament I missed out on, but I didn't let that derail any part of my whole career. And I hope Diego Luna can do that."

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This story was originally published May 26, 2026 at 10:22 AM.