'Allows us to be a top-level country' - Real Salt Lake star Diego Luna welcomes return of veteran players, roster competition ahead of September USMNT friendlies

Real Salt Lake and USMNT star Diego Luna says he's excited for the upcoming September international window, where Mauricio Pochettino will have his first opportunity to integrate both Gold Cup participants and those who missed the summer camp. 

Luna stressed the importance of internal competition in raising performance standards.

“That’s the type of mental kind of thing that is going to allows us to be a top-level country,” Lune told the Unfiltered Soccer podcast with Tim Howard and Landon Donovan. “You’ve got two people that are just fighting and fighting against each other. And overall, it’s a good thing, overall, the person that’s going to get put in that XI worked for it and earned it. So I think that’s the type of mentality we need in the US with soccer and that’s what we’re missing."

Luna emerged as one of the USMNT’s stars at the Gold Cup, with three goals and two assists while playing in all six games for his country as they reached the final - despite missing the likes of Weston McKennie, Christian Pulisic, Ricardo Pepi and several other key stars.

The USMNT will gather in September for their first matches since the Gold Cup final defeat to Mexico, where they will face South Korea and Japan in international friendlies.