1 week ago
Real Salt Lake coach Pablo Mastroeni was successful disbelief. The US roster for nan World Cup would see neither his team’s prima playmaker Diego Luna nor their head-turning youngster, Zavier Gozo. While nan uncapped Gozo was a precocious agelong changeable to make nan squad, Luna seemed a near-lock fixed his value to nan nationalist squad passim 2025.
Mastroeni knows nan magnitude of these moments. As a player, he was nan proverbial 23rd man successful 2002, relaying that US coach Bruce Arena told him he’d made nan roster arsenic “a rah -ah guy.” Injuries and circumstance, positive his ain approach, landed nan midfielder successful nan lineup for nan USMNT’s 3-2 triumph complete Portugal to unfastened group play arsenic good arsenic some of its ensuing knock-out matches.
Even pinch a World Cup veteran’s perspective, Mastroeni struggled to grapple pinch Luna’s removal from a squad that was reported by nan Guardian connected Saturday up of Tuesday’s charismatic announcement.
“It’s an absorbing determination for me,” Mastroeni said. “In 2025 nan nationalist squad really leaned connected him, some arsenic an attacking player, but besides [as] a mentality piece. Pochettino referenced his expertise to fight, and I conscionable deliberation that successful a [World] Cup wherever you request a quality shaper – immoderate feline who’s gonna travel into a crippled wherever nan shape will ne'er beryllium excessively large – I conscionable thought that [Luna made sense.]”
Multiple RSL players and unit members who traveled to Minnesota said of nan determination pinch visible disbelief, and tones that made clear really pained each of them felt connected his behalf. Luna didn’t recreation to Saint Paul pinch RSL contempt participating successful afloat training connected Thursday and Friday, arsenic he missed Wednesday – nan team’s “extensive day” of moving – owed to hamstring tightness. Players learned their World Cup fates complete email aft Friday’s training, pinch Luna’s and Gozo’s omissions arriving concurrently.
“We sewage nan email astatine nan aforesaid time, truthful I talked to him,” Gozo told nan Guardian. “I honestly deliberation he should beryllium successful nan team. I was upset for him, and evidently you cognize he’s upset arsenic well. So, yeah, I deliberation he’s nan aforesaid way. I deliberation he’s conscionable gonna support moving hard.”
Gozo didn’t participate 2026 expecting to contend for Mauricio Pochettino’s squad. He had only conscionable carved retired a regular domiciled successful Real Salt Lake’s first team, aft all, and hadn’t moreover made a training campy pinch nan United States’ elder program. As MLS pauses for nan World Cup, he has six goals and 4 assists from 14 MLS matches, pinch galore of these contributions coming pinch audacious method and vision. His performances demanded astatine slightest immoderate measurement of information arsenic an unmissable chaotic paper hopeful for nan World Cup.
So erstwhile Gozo received nan email from Pochettino’s campy that he wouldn’t beryllium representing nan United States this summer, it doubled arsenic acknowledgement of conscionable really adjacent he’d travel to forcing a dream.
“I thought I would beryllium little disappointed than I was,” Gozo said. “Obviously, it wasn’t for illustration I was expected to go. I consciousness for illustration I was disappointed, but I besides deliberation it conscionable gave maine truthful overmuch much information to beryllium capable to make nan first team, whenever that is.”
Born to an Ivorian father, Gozo said he wasn’t alert of immoderate outreach from Côte d’Ivoire contempt reported interest from nan state successful nan past. arsenic nan Elephants readied for their ain squad release, which was unveiled connected 15 May.
Mastroeni acknowledged that Gozo didn’t guidelines a awesome chance of making nan squad, but thought he would person fresh successful good arsenic a chaotic card.
“You sewage 3 games to get retired of nan group, and I conscionable felt for illustration he mightiness person been a agelong shot, but I felt for illustration his attributes connected a 26-man roster would beryllium really bully successful moments wherever you request to alteration nan game,” Mastroeni said. “I deliberation he’s value successful beforehand of goal. I deliberation he’s shown his expertise to really frighten nan backmost line, truthful I conscionable thought he had a chance, and he did arsenic well.”
Even if Pochettino wasn’t fresh to trial Gozo astatine a higher level, others successful nan nine broadside of nan crippled whitethorn not beryllium truthful patient. With conscionable complete 3,000 convention minutes to his sanction and having conscionable turned 19 successful March, Gozo wouldn’t hesitate to see taking nan adjacent measurement if nan correct nine came calling.
“I consciousness for illustration I’m fresh to go,” Gozo said without hesitation. “Whether that happens aliases not, I don’t know, but I deliberation this is simply a unsocial business I have. I’m blessed to beryllium successful a business wherever I person specified a bully nine to beryllium at, but I besides think, you cognize … What’s adjacent successful my career? I don’t know.”
For now, Gozo, Luna and their teammates will return immoderate extended clip distant from training earlier resuming believe successful June. Mastroeni will nary uncertainty beryllium eager to guarantee Luna and Gozo enactment successful nan correct headspace, comparing nan coming infinitesimal to 2024, erstwhile Luna was a astonishing trim from Marko Mitrovic’s roster for nan Paris Olympics.
While nan 22-year-old playmaker should stay successful nan nationalist squad excavation for years to come, nan opportunity to correspond nan US astatine a co-hosted World Cup is simply a once-in-a-lifetime proposition. Considering Luna had go a staple of coverage, content, and commercials successful nan lead-up to this summer, his absence from nan squad leaves a uniquely stinging impact.
“I didn’t effect nan nationalist team, not moreover remotely adjacent to nan measurement Luna impacted nan group past twelvemonth successful 2025 and Gold Cup he had,” Mastroeni prefaced, “so it’d beryllium really difficult for maine to moreover empathize aliases understand what he’s going through. Even, you know, nan trading and nan advertizing that has gone done pinch him [involved].
“But Diego has been a feline that has consistently flooded difficult hurdles successful his career, some connected nan section and disconnected nan field. I deliberation he’s going to beryllium a stronger subordinate for this, and he’s sewage a awesome changeable astatine nan adjacent one.”
