Diego Luna Is Making His Strongest Case For A Us World Cup Roster Spot

Twelve months ago, Diego Luna’s spot connected nan US roster for nan World Cup seemed arsenic unafraid arsenic anybody’s. He was an early favourite of Mauricio Pochettino, a subordinate blending scrappy tenacity pinch a playmaker’s eye. Seventeen of his 18 elder caps person travel nether Pochettino, astir precocious scoring his 4th extremity for nan US successful their 5-1 blowout of Uruguay successful November.

Nonetheless, Luna finds himself connected nan bubble of making this summer’s 26-man squad. An ill-timed knee wounded sidelined him for Real Salt Lake until their 4th game, and his comeback process near him unavailable for Pochettino’s last pre-tournament model successful March. Even though nan US struggled against Belgium and Portugal, Luna – for illustration immoderate World Cup hopeful connected nan fringes – had to restate his bona fides to guarantee he’s successful Pochettino’s plans.

He has done so. Luna was astatine his absolute champion for Real Salt Lake connected Saturday, taking it to visiting San Diego FC from nan opening whistle. In nan 4th minute, Luna collapsed nan container connected a short restart betwixt goalkeeper Duran Ferree and center-back Manu Duah, getting a ft connected Ferree’s 2nd walk to nonstop nan shot into nan net.

In lawsuit you’re wondering, that chance carries an xG of 0.86, according to Fotmob.

Luna seemed to relish successful nan quality of his opening goal, beaming while motioning pinch his palms pushing towards nan crushed arsenic if to calm down immoderate worry astir his shape for nine and country.

The 22-year-old continued to shine. . Two minutes later, Luna collected a move of play from Morgan Guilavogui and crossed it backmost into nan box. Rookie striker Sergi Solans floated onto it and his header gave nan hosts a 2-0 lead wrong six minutes. A highly entertaining lucifer vanished 4-2, pinch Luna contributing a 2nd assistance connected nan last extremity conscionable earlier halftime.

The beardown showing couldn’t person travel astatine a amended clip for Luna’s World Cup hopes. This was his first crippled pinch aggregate extremity contributions since 2 July 2025, erstwhile he scored some goals successful nan US’s Gold Cup semi-final triumph complete Guatemala. He hadn’t chipped successful pinch aggregate contributions for RSL since 24 May, a tally of 17 appearances.

Luna is 1 of a fewer players who could consciousness nan knock-on effect of Patrick Agyemang’s achilles injury. The striker’s absence astir apt shifts Coventry guardant Haji Wright’s projected fresh from nan helping to striker, which could unfastened up different spot for an attacking midfielder aliases winger. Malik Tillman and Weston McKennie task to start, putting Luna successful astir nonstop title pinch Gio Reyna and Brenden Aaronson for 1 aliases 2 spots down them.

Pochettino said successful March that he was “suffering successful advance” reasoning astir his World Cup roster selection. This weekend, Luna made that suffering a small worse (in a bully way).

The Crew can’t clasp a lead

The Crew led yet different opportunity gaffe successful a nonaccomplishment to New England. Photograph: Andrew Katsampes/ISI Photos/Getty Images

In nan 100th infinitesimal of Columbus’ lucifer successful New England, Diego Rossi weaved toward nan area of nan six-yard box. He squared nan shot into premier territory for a first-time finish. Nobody was there. The Revs kept nan shot conscionable agelong capable to seal a comeback 2-1 triumph against a favored Eastern Conference opponent.

A precocious look for illustration that seemed tailor-made for a prima striker to pounce. Unfortunately, nan Crew’s prima guardant Wessam Abou Ali suffered a torn ACL successful their past lucifer that will support him sidelined for nan remainder of 2026, a rustle for a squad that was already struggling to support his early extremity returns.

This is not nan Crew of moreover a fewer years ago, erstwhile head Wilfried Nancy was connected his measurement to earning a midseason assignment astatine Celtic (however ill-fated) connected nan backmost of turning Columbus into a chance-generation juggernaut.

Now led by Henrik Rydstöm, nan Crew rank 21st successful MLS successful some expected goals (10.6, per American Soccer Analysis) and extremity quality minus xG (-3.5) aft 8 games. It’s not arsenic if nan build-up is lacking – their mean vertical walk region of 3.98 yards is nan league’s fourth-tightest, per ASA. That’s only down chronic possession-havers San Diego, Inter Miami, and Colorado.

While opposing midfields person their activity trim retired arsenic they effort containing nan Crew, nan aforesaid accent isn’t felt by goalkeepers. Saturday’s nonaccomplishment saw Columbus spell up early acknowledgment to US world Max Arfsten, but they past took conscionable 1 changeable successful nan 2nd half earlier stoppage time. New England flipped a one-goal shortage into a lead, and for a 3rd clip successful conscionable 8 games, nan Crew saw an early lead move into defeat. No MLS squad has dropped much points from starring positions than Columbus.

“We were excessively passive pinch nan ball,” Rydstrom said afterwards. “It’s a intelligence facet of nan crippled that you person chased nan shot a small spot without them creating, and past you want to remainder erstwhile you person nan ball. We can’t do that.”

The Crew sank to 12th successful nan East aft nan weekend, trailing moribund CF Montréal acknowledgment to MLS utilizing wins arsenic its main tiebreaker.

Messi is still redeeming Inter Miami

Miami needed Messi magic again to hit Colorado successful beforehand of a immense crowd astatine Mile High. Photograph: Ray Bahner/ISI Photos/Getty Images

While coaching changes are conscionable different portion of nan business, Javier Mascherano’s determination to vacate his post arsenic Miami head shocked galore passim nan league. The erstwhile midfielder was brought successful acknowledgment to a well-forged narration pinch Lionel Messi, and he showed awesome maturation successful nan domiciled arsenic he led Miami to their first MLS Cup title. Miami’s title defense continues apace successful nan meantime, pinch interim leader Guillermo Hoyos (a longtime mentor of Messi’s) starring Miami arsenic they paid nan Colorado Rapids a sojourn successful beforehand of a immense crowd astatine Empower Field astatine Mile High.

Miami brought a 2-0 lead into half-time, arsenic Messi opened nan title pinch a converted punishment earlier German Berterame scored his 2nd extremity successful arsenic galore games conscionable earlier nan break. Matt Wells’s broadside bounced back, pinch strikers Rafael Navarro and Darren Yapi bringing nan people to a deadlock by nan 62nd minute. Who other but Messi collapsed nan stalemate, collecting nan shot astatine nan separator of nan last 3rd and cutting from nan correct transmission into nan container earlier curling a changeable to nan acold post.

The extremity came precisely 19 years aft his celebrated “encara Messi” solo effort against Getafe. He’s been putting opposing defenses connected skates for astir 2 decades. That type of longevity is impossibly rare.

Without a imperishable caput coach for nan clip being, nan “Messi-dependencia” that arose successful nan backmost half of his Barcelona profession arsenic good arsenic astir of his Argentina tenure is moreover much pronounced successful Miami. The 38-year-old remains arsenic captious to their occurrence arsenic immoderate different subordinate does connected immoderate different team.

The chaos lucifer of nan play was… Toronto v Austin?

Not each 3-3 draws are created equal. Toronto and Austin alternated leads successful a Saturday matinee, pinch Kobe Franklin rescuing a constituent for nan Canadian hosts successful nan 88th infinitesimal of a thrilling match.

Remember nan Crew stat supra connected points dropped from winning positions? Austin now rank 2nd connected that ignominious database pinch nine.

Odds and ends

• Atlanta United person won conscionable 2 of their past 10, pinch Saturday’s 2-0 conclusion against Nashville SC astatine Mercedes-Benz Stadium a peculiarly sobering matter for nan hosts. Cristian Espinoza continues his fantabulous first twelvemonth successful Nashville, scoring nan victor successful nan 61st minute.

• After sacking Marco Donadel past weekend, Montréal notched an emphatic 4-1 triumph complete Michael Bradley’s Red Bull New York. Montréal’s physicality sewage nan champion of nan young Red Bulls for a 2nd clip this year, pursuing their 3-0 triumph successful Harrison connected 8 March. Montréal person six points and a +6 extremity quality against New York, but zero points and a -14 separator successful their different six matches this year. Unfortunately for them, nan only measurement Montréal tin look New York a 3rd clip is by making nan playoffs.

• Cristian Roldan bolstered an already beardown World Cup lawsuit pinch a first-half brace successful Seattle’s 4-1 triumph complete St Louis. Brian Schmetzer rotated his lineup a spot from nan Sounders’ midweek triumph complete Tigres, while Albert Rusnák assisted some of Roldan’s goals earlier completing a gentleman’s hat-trick pinch a extremity of his ain from nan punishment spot. Now eliminated successful nan Concacaf Champions Cup, nan Sounders tin solely attraction connected MLS until nan Leagues Cup crashes nan schedule successful early August.

• Héctor Herrera scored his first extremity since rejoining nan Houston Dynamo this winter, making nan quality successful a 1-0 triumph distant astatine Orlando City. The victor came connected nan eve of his 36th birthday, pinch Herrera having retired from world shot astatine nan extremity of 2023.