Diego Luna has spent the last year fighting his way back into Mauricio Pochettino's plans for this summer's World Cup roster. A knee injury sidelined him early in the MLS season, forcing him to miss crucial pre-tournament matches in March. But on Saturday, the 22-year-old winger mounted a forceful reminder of why he was once considered a lock for the 26-man squad.
Luna was electric for Real Salt Lake against visiting San Diego FC, orchestrating a dominant first-half display that set the tone for a 4-2 victory. He opened the scoring in the fourth minute, crashing into the box after a goalkeeper's short restart and converting from close range. Two minutes later, Luna executed a perfectly weighted cross that found rookie striker Sergi Solans for a header that made it 2-0 before six minutes had elapsed.
The performance was significant for more than just the scoreline. Luna's assist on a final goal before halftime gave him multiple goal contributions in a single match for the first time since July when he scored both goals in a Gold Cup semifinal victory over Guatemala. Before this weekend, he had gone 17 appearances without multiple contributions for RSL.
Luna's timing could hardly be better. Pochettino has tough decisions to make with his final roster, particularly with Patrick Agyemang's recent Achilles injury opening the door for competing attackers. That injury likely shifts Haji Wright from winger to striker, potentially freeing up additional space for attacking midfielders and wingers. Luna sits in direct competition with Gio Reyna and Brenden Aaronson for one or two remaining spots behind projected starters Malik Tillman and Weston McKennie.
Just how much confidence does Pochettino have in his final selections? The manager admitted in March that he was "suffering in advance" over the roster decision. Luna's display at Rio Tinto Stadium made that suffering a little more acute.
Author James Rodriguez: "Luna proved on Saturday that injuries and missed windows haven't derailed his World Cup dream, but Pochettino will have to make some brutal cuts in the weeks ahead."
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