‘This is just the beginning’ - How USMNT and RSL star Diego Luna turned vulnerability into his edge, and why 2026 could be his next leap

For as long as Luna has been in the public eye, he has been, unequivocally, himself. His body has tattoos scattered all over it, each filling a different purpose to describe a different moment in his life. He started to get them when he was young, he told GOAL in January. The tattoos were a commitment, both to himself and to the game of soccer. Soccer has taken him further than he could have imagined, and it's allowed him to be a version of himself he never really knew. 

Before making it big, he was overly shy. He worked part-time at a coffee shop to develop people skills and confidence. The on-field stuff, in many ways, was a facade. Off-field life was different. Now, though, the two versions of Diego are closer to one in the same. In some ways, this award doesn't just recognize that fact, but the work Luna has done to make that pursuit public for all to see.

"This year, it's been about mental health individually," he says. "Forget putting it out in the public and being vulnerable, forget that. It's about struggling, going from struggling to getting help, feeling better and now, going to publish this big thing that I went through. I'm proud of myself when I sit down and look back at it.

"It's something where I'm not only bettering myself, but now spreading the word with this platform that I've created."

It's easy to do that in the high moments, and Luna has plenty of those. Luna doesn't just want to speak about those. Even this year, the best of his professional career, Luna has lows that he feels the need to acknowledge.

The highs are easy to see. The January camp nose break that ultimately led to him becoming a USMNT favorite. The Gold Cup run that saw him score three massive goals en route to the final. Most recently, it was the goal in the USMNT's blowout of Uruguay, one that sent a clear message that Luna can do it against the very best in the international game.

Sandwiched between all of those big moments, though, were quieter ones, ones that Luna admits were much, much harder than scoring a goal or making a play.

"There are a lot of downs we can go on about, whether that's how my relationship with my family is going, how my son is doing, how my parents are doing," he says. "Then it's how soccer's going, how the team is doing, stuff like that. I think, for me, there are so many downs, and it's hard to talk about them. I could talk about my ups in five minutes, but my downs? That would take me an hour."

One example came recently. After helping lead RSL to the MLS Playoffs with nine goals and seven assists, the club's season ended abruptly. A 3-1 loss to the Portland Timbers in the MLS Playoffs' Wild Card round meant the season was over. That, naturally, is emotional. Luna wanted to keep playing, wanted to keep fighting. All it took was 90 minutes for that to be gone.

Then, though, came the training sessions. With several weeks between that loss and USMNT camp, Luna was on his own. He still showed up, day after day, to RSL's facility, eager to work in silence. The goal against Uruguay was loud. The moments alone in the gym weren't.

"It's a down when I show up every single day at the RSL facility with a bag of balls to run my butt off for three weeks straight of grinding. No one there; just me in the dark, lights off," he says. "It's three weeks of hard work that no one is noticing, but everyone's thinking 'Diego's done this' or 'Diego's done that'. I show up against Uruguay and put in a performance, but people don't see the hard work that was done before."

Luna is right. There were a lot of those types of days and, by and large, they paid off. Now, though, there's a new pursuit: more.

Early in the year, Luna announced himself with the USMNT. Head coach Mauricio Pochettino infamously praised the midfielder’s “big balls” for his efforts in January camp, when Luna played through a broken nose and blood running down his face to deliver an assist. It’s easy to see why Pochettino - and many around the USMNT - appreciated his gutsy performances.

It catapulted Luna into a larger role, and he went on to play more USMNT games in 2025 than anyone else. But toughness alone didn’t make him indispensable. He was involved in more goals than any player in the squad. 

"Man, each one feels better than the last," he says about getting international caps. "That's the only thing I can say about it. That feeling, I think, is one of the top three best feelings in your life that makes you happiest. Maybe top five."

To Luna, though, goals aren't just goals. Every time that ball hits the back of the net, it's symbolic. It's an achievement, and not one for himself.

"It's that type of feeling because it's not just scoring the goal and getting that little excitement," he says. "It means you've scored a goal and you're performing well. It means you're getting your stats up. It means you're building a career. It means all of the work that you're doing throughout the week is working. Scoring a goal isn't just scoring, right? Scoring goals means better contracts, more money, and being able to take care of your family. There's a lot that plays into it. I think, for an attacking player, scoring goals is a feeling that you never get tired of."

Luna's offseason effectively began on Wednesday, just a few hours after that goal against Uruguay. He's carrying that feeling into this break, though. That feeling is what's pushing him to get more.

Back in January, he reflected on his 2024 season. From the outside, it looked like a breakthrough: he earned an All-Star nod, won MLS Young Player of the Year and drew praise from fans and media throughout the league. But despite all of that, Luna left 2024 feeling unsatisfied - far less impressed than everyone else was.

"There's so much more than I can do," he said to GOAL. "I believe that this was average for myself. This is the baseline...I need to be better this year, and there were a lot of moments where I could have been better, and that's what I'm striving for. That's the type of mentality that I have, because it's not good enough.'"

In the end, Luna was right. There was another level as he took steps further in 2025. Yet, that's no reason for him to celebrate.

"I think this was a special year and, I'll say it again: I think that next year can be another amazing year for me," he says. "I think I'm going to do better than I did this year. That's the goal for me every year: do it better. I want to improve with stats, with my mental health, with how I'm feeling outside of the field, my physical health, my family, everything. I think that's the way I'm trying to take life."

Everyone knows what the stakes are next year. A World Cup is on the horizon, and while Luna may not have said it specifically, that looms over all. Improving in 2026 would surely have him involved in that next summer. That is, of course, only one part of Luna's life. There's that other side, too: the human one. For the next few months, as he takes a step back to reflect and recover, he'll focus on that one, too.

"This is maybe my most exciting offseason yet," he says. "It's definitely my most important offseason. I'm seeing it as my preseason to my preseason. I'm not treating it like an offseason. I'm going to manage it well. I'm going to clear the space from 10 months of soccer, but I'm going to be working my butt off....This is not an offseason for me, but a season where I get to combine having fun with my family with the work ethic and understanding that this year is a huge year that could be an amazing year. That's the mindset."

That mindset carried him to another level in 2025. Luna grew with the USMNT, opened up even more about who he is and what he’s working through, and embraced being fully himself. Now, 2026 brings a different kind of challenge. Whatever comes, he’ll be ready to face it - and talk about it - every step of the way. That’s simply who he is.