Diego Luna’s father, Alberto, was a professional player back in the 1980s who played for the pre-MLS Earthquakes.
Diego Luna helped the United States of America with two excellent assists to grab a 5-0 win against the Trinidad and Tobago national football team in the FIFA World Cup CONCACAF qualifiers on Sunday, June 15, 2025.
Following the match, Diego spoke with Fox Sports’ Jenny Taft. She asked,
Diego, a multi-assist game for you. And look, I know you were doing this in front of so many friends and family. How did it feel to be in your hometown representing the U.S. national team?
Jenny Taft
Luna answered,
Yeah, I think excitement and nerves were the number two emotions and just an honor, right? To be able to dream about this day and have it come out to this moment and start off a tournament like this back in my home city is awesome.
Diego Luna
Jenny further asked,
Mauricio had mentioned to me at the break that he wanted this group to be relentless, to pretend it was really nil-nil. How did you feel the guys responded in the second and kept things going?
Jenny Taft
Diego replied,
Yeah, I think the thing is we want to keep scoring. We don’t have no mercy rule or anything. We want to score as much as we can and keep them to zero.
Diego Luna
Twitter fans also praised Diego for his amazing gameplay. One fan wrote,
Diego Luna did an incredible job sniffing out a potential mistake and he predicted that to perfection
@Nabhuto
Another fan wrote,
If there’s any positive to this USMNT window it’s Diego Luna playing his way out of the MLS
@SoccerCardsHQ
Diego Luna Followed In His Parents’ Footsteps And Pursued His Career In American Soccer
Born on September 7, 2003, in Sunnyvale, California, United States, Diego Angel Luna, 21, was raised by his father, Alberto Luna, and his mother, whose identity has not been revealed.
His father, Alberto, played professional soccer on five teams, including the San Jose Earthquakes, and has been serving as a coach for the Stanford Soccer Club.
Alberto was a student at Foothill College when he was first recruited for the San Diego Sockers, an indoor soccer team considered one of the best in the nation.
But he only played for the Sockers for half a season. During his time at Sockers, he played against a team in San Mateo and won the match.
Then, he was invited to play for the Earthquakes the following season without having to try out, and he accepted the offer.
After playing for the Earthquakes, he coached in Milwaukee before returning to California to conclude his professional career with the Chico Rooks.
Alberto started coaching his children in the American Youth Soccer Organization.
He also coached at the Palo Alto Soccer Club for 20 years and later joined the Stanford Soccer Club team.
Diego is inspired by his father, Alberto, to pursue a football career. With the guidance of his father, Diego is reaching new heights in American soccer.
Diego Luna Grew Up Playing Soccer With His Three Siblings
Diego Luna has two brothers, Armando and Gio, and one sister, Krystal Luna.
Armando is a local graduate of Foothill College and San Jose State University, with over 20 years of experience coaching soccer.
He has coached teams from Los Altos High, Palo Alto Soccer Club, and Stanford Soccer Club.
In 2019, he was hired as the new coach of the Paly Girls’ Soccer Team, replacing the previous coach who had taken an unexpected leave of absence.
Diego’s brother, Gio, successfully coached at the Stanford SC.
He also coached the Canada College Women’s program, the Palo Alto High School Girls’ team, the Victory SC Women’s Futsal team, and San Carlos United.
Diego’s sister, Krystal, graduated from Sonoma State University with a BS in Kinesiology and a concentration in Lifetime Physical Activity.
During her four years as an assistant under head coach Emiria Salzmann, Luna helped the Seawolves to 3 straight league titles dating back to the 2019 season.
Later, she joined the Sonoma State women’s soccer coaching staff back in 2019.
She took over as the head assistant coach after spending a year as an assistant with Santa Rosa Junior College.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- On June 2, 2022, Luna transferred to Real Salt Lake in a USL record deal of $250,000. He made his debut as an 88th-minute substitute against the Vancouver Whitecaps.
- With the Earthquakes, Luna participated in various tournaments, including the Dallas Cup and Generation Adidas Cup. In 2018, Luna left the Earthquakes Academy and joined the Barcelona Residency Academy.
- In 2025, during the first half of the match against Costa Rica, Luna was elbowed in the face by a Costa Rican player and had his nose broken.
