U.S. men’s national soccer team head coach Mauricio Pochettino announced his roster for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Tuesday afternoon, though the roster had already been leaked.
Real Salt Lake had two World Cup hopefuls in Diego Luna and Zavier Gozo. But both learned Friday after practice via email that neither had made the World Cup squad, Gozo told The Guardian on Monday.
“I thought I would be less disappointed than I was,” Gozo said. “Obviously, it wasn’t like I was supposed to go. I feel like I was disappointed, but I also think it just gave me so much more motivation to be able to make the first team, whenever that is.”
Prior to the news, Gozo told the Deseret News that he was “extremely flattered to be in that conversation.”
Real Salt Lake head coach Pablo Mastroeni saw his young star as a strong option off the bench for Pochettino, he told the Deseret News earlier this month.
“He’s going to pull something off, and he’s going to inspire his teammates with his pace, with his athleticism, with his endeavor, with his quality and with his goal-scoring threat,” Mastroeni said.
While the odds for an uncapped Gozo were more of a long shot, Luna seemed like a shoe-in.
Luna has four goals and two assists for Real Salt Lake this season. He was featured in World Cup billboards and marketing campaigns for Team USA across the country. In his 18 national team caps, he has four goals and four assists. In January 2025, he played through a bloody broken nose, which appeared to endear him to fans and Pochettino.
Following Real Salt Lake’s 1-1 draw Saturday, Mastroeni told reporters that it was “an interesting decision” to not select Luna.
“In 2025 the national team really leaned on him, both as an attacking player, but also a mentality piece,” he said.
Social media reactions to Luna, Gozo World Cup snubs
The news of Gozo and Luna not making the World Cup squad led to mixed reactions on social media, especially for Luna.