- Diego Luna scored both goals in the USMNT's 2-1 win over Guatemala.
- Luna's performance sends the U.S. to the Gold Cup final against Mexico or Honduras.
- The Real Salt Lake star's 2025 breakout continues, earning praise from fans and commentators.
ST. LOUIS — It didn't take long for Diego Luna to double, and then triple, his international goal total after scoring his first in the Gold Cup quarterfinals Sunday.
The Real Salt Lake star followed up his breakthrough over the weekend with a brace in the opening 15 minutes of Wednesday's semifinal against Guatemala at Energizer Park in St. Louis, Missouri.
The first came in the fourth minute off a rebound from a Luca de la Torre shot, and the second was created almost entirely by the maestro nicknamed "Moon Man."
The 21-year-old Luna received the ball in his usual left wing slot, dribbled toward the box, juked a defender, and then fired a shot into the bottom-left corner of the goal to double his tally and the USMNT lead in the 15th minute.
USMNT legend Landon Donovan said after the match that RSL assistant Nate Miller, who worked with Donovan in the USL, texted him during the match that Luna practices the move that led to his second goal "every day in training."
DIEGO LUNA ARE YOU SERIOUS?! 🔥
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 2, 2025
HE SCORES HIS SECOND OF THE NIGHT FOR THE @USMNT! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/yfTUn15R1T
It was a dream start for Luna and the U.S., and the soccer world reacted accordingly, beginning with commentator and former player Stu Holden calling Luna "The man of the moment."
"The game is about moments," Luna said after the match in an homage to RSL head coach Pablo Mastroeni's mantra. "It's 90 minutes of hundreds of moments, and you gotta execute on each one."
Luna defeated former RSL teammates Aaron Herrera and Rubio Rubin in the match, who now head home after helping Guatemala make a deep Gold Cup run that included an upset over Canada in the quarterfinals.
The performance was the culmination of a six-month national team breakout for Luna that started with his viral broken nose moment against Costa Rica in January, during which the Bay Area native has endeared himself to a USMNT fan base left reeling after a four-game losing streak heading into the Gold Cup.
Luna picked up a pair of assists in the tournament-opening win against Trinidad and Tobago, scored his first USMNT goal in the quarterfinals against Costa Rica, and got a brace in Wednesday's 2-1 win to send his country through to the final on Sunday against either Mexico or Honduras.
The run has been dubbed "The Legend of Luna" by national media, with no signs of slowing down any time soon. If the recent pattern holds, Luna should follow up one and two-goal performances with a hat trick in Sunday's final. It may sound far-fetched, but nothing feels out of reach for the RSL superstar in 2025.
