Real Salt Lake midfielder Diego Luna said he remains open to switching to represent Mexico's national team after turning down the chance to be an alternate for the U.S. men's Olympic team.
Luna, born in California but eligible to represent Mexico through his parents, worked his way up through the U.S. Soccer Federation’s youth programs, playing on 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 in any capacity for Mexico, but confirmed he has not ruled out submitting a one-off application to FIFA.
“I've never closed any doors,” Luna told ESPN on Tuesday. “For me, the important thing is to keep performing and to know who is going to give me the best opportunity. I know there are some changes happening in the Mexican Soccer Federation, in US Soccer as well, but there are some big changes happening, so we'll see what happens there.”
Following the respective failures of their senior teams at the recent Copa America, the United States national team is looking for a new coach, while Mexico has just named Javier Aguirre to replace Jaime Lozano.
Luna, 20, has scored five goals and provided 12 assists in 23 Major League Soccer games this season to inspire Real Salt Lake to a third-place finish in the Western Conference standings. His efforts failed to earn him a spot on the U.S. 18-man roster for the Olympics, though coach Marko Mitrović had hoped to name Luna as an alternate for the tournament in Paris.
However, Luna explained that he turned down the opportunity to remain with the MLS team and continue working towards his goals with the club.
“There are many factors that influence the decision to reject the offer of Olympic reserve,” he said. “There are people who say one thing on one side and another on the other, but nobody cares about the human and mental aspect.”
“For me, there are a lot of things behind the scenes that affected my decision, but basically being out for six or seven games 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 like this 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 decision “difficult,” Luna maintained he remains at peace with the situation.
“For me, I've done well and learned how to handle the tough times,” he said. “I just focus, work and keep playing well. Things happen in special ways. I'm not called up to the U.S. Olympics, but I'm in the MLS All-Star Game.”
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.
