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Come Fan with UsFriday, June 19, 2026

The Diego Luna story isn’t going away any time soon

Luna’s exclusion from the USMNT roster made headlines.

Real Salt Lake v Houston Dynamo FC
Real Salt Lake v Houston Dynamo FC
SANDY, UTAH - MAY 13: Diego Luna #10 of the Real Salt Lake looks on during the MLS match between Real Salt Lake and Houston Dynamo FC at America First Field on May 13, 2026 in Sandy, Utah. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
Getty Images

It is officially World Cup time in the United States. This should be a moment of joy and excitement. To be clear it is on some level, but there are dark clouds hovering in the national team’s sky.

Consider that before we even reached the month of June that the USMNT helped launch two different controversies around them that could have easily been avoided. At the very least they could have easily been mitigated.

The US Men’s National Team’s (USMNT) head coach Argentine Mauricio Pochettino speaks during the announcement of the USMNT 2026 World Cup roster in New York, on May 26, 2026. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP via Getty Images)
The US Men’s National Team’s (USMNT) head coach Argentine Mauricio Pochettino speaks during the announcement of the USMNT 2026 World Cup roster in New York, on May 26, 2026. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP via Getty Images)
AFP via Getty Images

At the moment there is constant chatter around manager Mauricio Pochettino and whether or not he is Milan-bound once the tournament is over. To be clear we are all adults and knew that he was not long for this job, but the optics of the situation are horrible. All involved have declared this time as the most important in United States Soccer’s lifetime and to have the figurehead of the operation being seen with a wandering eyes casts doubt.

This doubt came almost immediately after Pochettino upset fans around the country by leaving Diego Luna off of the team’s World Cup roster. Luna has proven his worth and justified a spot on the National Team, but even if you disagree with that you certainly believe that he at least earned the right to be told he wasn’t making it in some manner other than an email. Nevertheless, that is how he (and the others left off) reportedly found out.

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Diego spoke to SB Nation a few weeks before the roster announcement and expressed his hope and desire to make the team, something that is all the more unfortunate given what has transpired. His passion for the game of soccer at large is so evident and his latest partner in Head & Shoulders really captures that with how they allow him to express himself on the field.

Head & Shoulders knows that soccer stars can’t be distracted – even in practice – since they need to make every moment count. That’s why they trust Head & Shoulders to help them make a good first impression each time they step on the field, fighting flakes to feel confident to stay focused when the lights are brightest.

It is unfortunate for Diego that he is connected to the national team and what they do (or don’t do) this summer in such an awkward manner. Given how Pochettino went about it with the email, the Milan rumors, and the pressure that USMNT is under as an organization to succeed… any time anything goes wrong in even a remote way this story is going to be brought up.

Hopefully Poch is ready.

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