Real Salt Lake youngster Diego Luna has reportedly not been picked to play in the USMNT Olympic squad at the upcoming Summer Olympics.
The 20-year-old budding star was previously not chosen by Marko Mitrovic in Team USA’s June camp. The initial decision, however, did not necessarily mean that Luna would not eventually be named in the Olympic team.
In fact, Mitrovic hinted back in May that Luna could still be picked to go to France. “Listen, Diego is one of the players that we are considering,” USA’s U23 coach told reporters after announcing the June roster. “He was in consideration for November camp, unfortunately he was injured. In March camp he was with us. Now there are some other guys there that we want to evaluate.”
“The doors are open for every player and for Diego not being in June camp, like for any other player that is not in June camp, doesn’t mean that they are not going to be in for the Olympic Games.”
Luna reportedly declined offer to be a Team USA alternate
Nevertheless, reporter Tom Bogert now claims that Luna is once again being overlooked. While the youngster was not selected for Team USA, he was apparently asked by U.S. Soccer to be an alternative in the squad. This would potentially give Luna a chance to feature in the squad if another player suffers an injury. According to Bogert, Luna, however, declined the offer.
The decision by U.S. Soccer and Mitrovic is certainly an odd one. After all, the youngster has netted four goals and added five assists for Real during just 19 Major League Soccer matches this season.
Only star duo Cristian Arango and Andres Gomez have more combined direct goal involvements for the club than Luna. The Utah side is currently second in the Western Conference standings at the moment.
Luna reportedly refused to be an alternate in the USMNT Olympic squad
Nicknamed ‘Moon Boy,’ Luna was previously a star…
Source link : https://worldsoccertalk.com/olympics/young-usa-star-not-selected-for-usmnt-olympic-squad/
Author : Chris Moore
Publish date : 2024-07-06 15:58:10
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