Real Salt Lake midfielder Diego Luna said he remains open to making a switch to representing the Mexico national team after turning down the opportunity to be an alternate on the United States men’s Olympic roster.
Luna, born in California but eligible to represent Mexico through his parents, worked his way through the U.S. Soccer’s youth programs, playing in the under-17 and under-20 teams, before receiving his first senior call-up for a friendly against Slovenia in January 2024.
He has yet to appear for Mexico in any capacity, but confirmed he has not ruled out filing a one-time switch with FIFA.
“I’ve never closed down any doors,” Luna told ESPN Tuesday. “For me, it’s continuing to perform and who’s going to give me the best opportunity. I know there’s some changes going on at the Mexican Football Federation, U.S. Soccer. too, but there are some big changes going on so we’ll see what happens there.”
Following the senior teams’ respective failures at the recent Copa América, the USMNT is currently looking for a new head coach while Mexico has just appointed Javier Aguirre to replace Jaime Lozano.
Luna, 20, has managed five goals and 12 assists in 23 Major League Soccer games this season to inspire Real Salt Lake to third in the Western Conference table. His efforts failed to earn him a place on the United States’ 18-man Olympic roster, though head coach Marko Mitrović was hoping to name Luna as an alternate for the tournament in Paris.
However, Luna explained that he rejected the opportunity in order to remain with the MLS team and continue working toward his goals with the club.
“There’s a lot of things that go into deciding to turn down being an Olympic backup,” he said. “Some people from one side say something and from another side another but no one is behind the human and mental aspect.
“For me, there are a lot of things behind the scenes that affected my decision, but basically it was being away for six or seven games that could change my career. I’m in good form and playing well, my team is at the top of the league so if we continue to do that and I play well the options are endless.
“It was a decision I had to commit to and I did.”
Despite what he called the “difficult” decision, Luna maintained he remains at peace with the situation.
“For me, I’ve done well and learned to manage tough times,” he said. “I just put my head down, work and continue to play well. Things happen in special ways, no USMNT Olympic call-up but I am at MLS All-Star.”
The player was the latest addition to the MLS All-Star roster, joining the likes of Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba in Columbus, Ohio, to face the best of Liga MX.
