EL PASO, Texas – El Paso Locomotive FC Midfielder Diego Luna has been called to represent club and country as part of the U.S. Men’s U-20 National Team roster, the club announced today alongside U.S. Soccer. Luna will be available for tonight’s Western Conference Quarterfinal playoff match against Oakland Roots SC at Southwest University Park before joining the U.S. Men’s U-20 National Team on Monday, November 7.
“We are very proud of Diego’s development this season, and this call-up is fully deserving,” said Mark Lowry, El Paso Locomotive FC Head Coach and Technical Director. “He has a drive and a desire to match his ability and we are happy that he is getting the recognition he deserves. It’s a proud moment for Diego and it’s a proud moment for El Paso Locomotive. We have full confidence he is going to go and show a lot of people what he is capable of, and we can’t wait to see it.”
Luna, 18, has had a standout professional debut season, having joined El Paso Locomotive FC from the prestigious Barca Residency Academy in Arizona. The California native has made 31 appearances with 21 starts amassing nine goals and five assists in his rookie season. Luna has previously been called to the U-14 and U-17 USMNT camps but has yet to make an appearance on the gameday roster for the national team.
The USMNT U-20 squad will compete in Mexico in the inaugural Revelations Cup – a new international youth tournament organized by the Mexican Football Federation and Curveball Sports & Entertainment to highlight the brightest national rising stars. The tournament brings together four of the best youth national teams to play in a Round Robin format between November 10 and November 16. The US will be joined by the U-20 squads of Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia.
The USMNT U-20’s will kick off the tournament on Wednesday, November 10 at 4:00 p.m. MT against their Brazilian counterparts before taking on the Colombia U-20 Team on Saturday, November 13 at 2:30 p.m. MT. The tournament will conclude with the US-Mexico rivalry on Tuesday, November 16 at 4:00 p.m. MT. All matches will be played at the Miguel Alemán Valdés Stadium in Celaya, Guanajuato, Mexico, and will be broadcast live on TUDN. Follow Revelations Cup Mexico on social media for more information.
El Paso Locomotive kicks off its third straight year in the USL Championship playoffs against Oakland Roots SC tonight at Southwest University Park, a venue in which El Paso Locomotive is undefeated in 470 calendar days. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. MT with good tickets available at eplocomotivefc.com/tickets, 915-235-GOAL, or through the Official El Paso Locomotive FC App.
See the full U.S. Men’s U-20 National Team Roster below:
GOALKEEPERS (2): Alexander Borto (Fulham/ENG.; South Plainfield, N.J.), Gabriel Slonina (Chicago Fire FC.; Addison, Ill.)
DEFENDERS (7): Justin Che (FC Dallas; Richardson, Texas), Jacob Greene (D.C. United; Crofton, Md.), Kobi Henry (Orange County S.C.; Lake Forest, Calif.), Jalen Neal (LA Galaxy; Lakewood, Calif.), Kayden Pierre (Sporting Kansas City; Bloomfield Hills, Mich.), Casey Walls (Mill Valley, Calif.; San Jose Earthquakes), Caleb Wiley (Atlanta United F.C.; Atlanta, Ga.)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Paxten Aaronson (Philadelphia Union; Medford, N.J.), Caden Clark (New York Red Bulls; Wayzata, Minn.), Daniel Edelman (New York Red Bulls; Warren, N.J.), Jeremy Garay (D.C. United; Crofton, Md.), Daniel Leyva (Seattle SoundersF.C.; Las Vegas, Nev.), Diego Luna (El Paso Locomotive; Redwood, Calif.), Jack McGlynn (Philadelphia Union; Middle Village, N.Y.), Rokas Pukstas (Hajduk Split/CRO; Stillwater, Okla.)
FORWARDS (6): Cade Cowell (San Jose Earthquakes; Ceres, Calif.), Brian Gutierrez (Chicago Fire F.C.; Chicago, Ill.), Missael Rodriguez (Chicago Fire FC; Chicago, Ill.), Malick Sanogo (1. FC Union Berlin/GER; Berlin, Germany), Dante Sealy (PSV Eindhoven/NED; Frisco, Texas), Quinn Sullivan (Philadelphia Union; Philadelphia, Pa.)