Real Salt Lake Midfielder Diego Luna Undergoes Successful Meniscus Repair Surgery

HERRIMAN, Utah (Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026) - Real Salt Lake announced today that playmaker Diego Luna underwent a successful meniscus repair in his knee Friday in a procedure performed by U.S. Soccer Chief Medical Officer and orthopedic surgeon Dr. Bert Mandelbaum in Santa Monica, California.

The 22-year-old midfielder is now expected to miss the remainder of the current season after suffering the knee injury back on Sept. 9 in Houston, while playing 70 minutes in the 2-1 road loss, with the meniscus tear identified via MRI a day later. Luna - who scored five goals and added eight assists in 22 games across all competitions this year for RSL - has returned to Utah to begin the rehabilitation process guided by the Club’s performance and medical group, in conjunction with Intermountain Health caretakers and facilities.

"The surgery was a success and we are grateful to Dr. Mandelbaum,"

said Dave Tenney, Senior Director of High Performance for Real Salt Lake and Utah Royals FC. "Our job now is to provide structured, patient rehabilitation. Diego has the full support of our Club’s performance and medical staff, as well as those of Dr. Anthony Buetler and Intermountain Health, and he is already approaching the recovery work the right way. We look forward to seeing him back on the field in 2027.”

This Wednesday, Real Salt Lake (8W-12L-5T, 29 points, 12^th West / 22^nd Shield MLS) continues a congested month of September, with a 7:30p MT kickoff Wednesday away at Western Conference rivals Seattle Sounders FC (7W-9L-8T, 29 points, 12^th West / 23^rd Shield). The midweek jaunt to the Pacific Northwest for a game rescheduled from April 12 against the Sounders gives RSL the opportunity to snap a 12-game overall winless run in MLS action dating back to May 16, as well as an 11-game road winless streak across all competitions dating back to March 7 at Atlanta. 

In addition to Luna, two RSL players will miss this week’s action due to the ongoing FIFA international break, as Uruguayan World Cup standout Juan Manuel Sanabria and Canadian World Cup centerback Luc de Fougerolles have departed for their nations’ four-game slates. Trinidadian centerback Kobi Henry will join his country following Saturday’s home New England match, as will U.S. Youth National Team standout Colin Guske; another USA youth international, RSL Academy midfielder Luca Moisa, will join his camp in progress after Wednesday’s Seattle trip.

This Saturday, RSL returns home to host New England Revolution looking to snap a five-game home winless stretch. Tickets are available via www.RSL.com/tickets, in what is expected to be RSL’s 16^th consecutive MLS sellout at America First Field. Despite last weekend’s 0-3 home loss to Vancouver, RSL still boasts an impressive 10-4-3 (W-L-T) overall record on Utah soil this season. Recent setbacks in Sandy since the FIFA World Cup break have dropped the Claret-and-Cobalt to 18-7-5 (W-L-T) at its America First Field fortress since June 1, 2025.