Two Diego Luna goals vs Guatemala secured the United States men’s national team a spot in the 2025 Gold Cup final as the 21-year-old shined the brightest during Wednesday’s 2-1 U.S. victory.
Luna was riding high from the quarterfinal against Costa Rica where scored his first-ever international goal. He now has triple that number following a 15-minute brace to open the game against Guatemala.
Diego Luna goals vs Guatemala
Luna’s first goal came in the fourth minute when he was the quickest to react to a rebound in front of goal. The Guatemalan goalkeeper spilled the ball and Luna did well to control and tuck in the game’s opening goal.
DIEGO LUNA GOAL IN THE 4TH MINUTE! @USMNT on top in the semis! pic.twitter.com/Yi9pSZE5x7
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 2, 2025
The sold out crowd at Energizer Park in St. Louis was heavily in favor of Guatemala. Luna silenced them quickly.
Just 11 minutes later Luna was terrorizing the Guatemalan defense again. Malik Tillman did well to switch fields and find Luna in open space.
What came next had the USMNT fanbase screaming for joy online.
DIEGO LUNA ARE YOU SERIOUS?!
HE SCORES HIS SECOND OF THE NIGHT FOR THE @USMNT! pic.twitter.com/yfTUn15R1T— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 2, 2025
Diego Luna bagged a brace in the first 15 minutes of the match for the @USMNT pic.twitter.com/kPF8u0UHJk
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 2, 2025
THAT is a banger. Torched the defender and then a laser into the bottom corner.
The Real Salt Lake forward has long been “slept on” for international fixtures. He was left off the 2024 Olympic roster and struggled to get called up for USMNT rosters before this year.
Now it’s hard to imagine him not making the 2026 World Cup roster.
There has been plenty of talk about the 2025 Gold Cup roster being a “B Team” or a “C Team” with a sprinkle of regular starters like Tyler Adams and Chris Richards. We think it’s safe to say Luna has proven he’s “A Team” material.
Luna’s energy and creativity in the final third is exactly what the USMNT will need on the World Cup stage next summer. He might not be a starter, but if the U.S. are in a tight game he’s a fantastic weapon to have ready.
The USMNT were able to hold off an inspired Guatemalan side who were playing in their first Gold Cup semifinal since 1996. The victory was no easy feat as Guatemala pushed the USMNT to the brink.
Guatemala pulls one back to make it 2-1!
The crowd in St. Louis is loving it! ️ pic.twitter.com/Vcealz5D4C— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 3, 2025
The U.S. will face the winner of Mexico/Honduras in the Gold Cup final at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.
