Diego Luna joins Real Salt Lake from El Paso Locomotive in the USL Championship as the Club's 34th all-time Homegrown Player.
Here is everything you need to know about Luna’s career prior to joining RSL:
- Luna, 18, was born in Sunnyvale, California and joined San Jose Earthquakes academy before transferring to the Barca Academy in Casa Grande, AZ.
- He began his professional career with El Paso Locomotive in the USL Championship, making his debut on May 8, 2021 as a second-half substitute in a 1-1 draw against New Mexico United.
- In two seasons with El Paso he recorded 13 goals and seven assists in 43 appearances across all competitions.
- On Jun 3, 2021 Luna netted his first goal for El Paso, scoring the game-equalizing goal against Austin Bold.
- Since joining the Locomotive, Luna has been named to the USL Championship Team of the Week six times, and was awarded the Goal of the Week Honor for Week 5 of 2022, in which he dribbled down to the end line before cutting back towards goal to score against Monterrey Bay.
- Following the completion of his rookie season, Luna was named to the 2021 All-League Second Team and finished as the runner up for the USL Championship Young Player of the Year, second only to Jonathan Gomez who recently transferred to Real Sociedad in Spain.
- In just one and a half seasons in El Paso, Luna became the third-highest goal scorer in club history. Additionally, he made history for the club as its youngest goal scorer, netting his first at 17 years, 8 months and 28 days.
- At the international level, Luna has represented the United States with various age groups, including most recently with the U-20 U.S. Youth National Team were he has scored one goal in three games.
Fast Facts:
- Luna joins a group, which includes Nick Besler (Real Monarchs) and Maikel Chang (Real Monarchs), of current RSL players to have signed with the Club from the USL Championship.
- Born in Sunnyvale, California, Luna is one of four RSL players from the Golden State, including Erik Holt (San Diego, CA.), Axel Kei (San Diego, CA.) and David Ochoa (Oxnard, CA.)
- At just 18 years old, Luna (Sept. 7, 2003) is the seventh youngest on Real Salt Lake’s roster, ahead of Jeff Dewsnup (May 21, 2004), Jaziel Orozco (June 2, 2004), Gavin Beavers (April 29, 2005), Julio Benitez (July 30, 2005), Jude Wellings (April 26, 2006) and Axel Kei (Dec. 30, 2007).
- Luna is one of five rostered dual nationals who can compete with either Mexico or the United States, including David Ochoa (declared for Mexico), Julio Benitez, Chris Garcia, Tomas Gomez and Jaziel Orozco.
- While with El Paso Locomotive, Luna played against Real Monarchs four times, scoring one goal in four wins for the Texas side.
What he is Saying About RSL:
“I believe Real Salt Lake is an historic club with an amazing and vibrant fan base; I am grateful for the faith RSL has in me and my abilities, and I look forward to contributing to the team. After speaking with the front office about their strong interest and plan for me, I am convinced this was the right move for my career. I will forever be grateful to El Paso for giving me my first professional contract, and the opportunity to showcase myself as I face new challenges.”
