Diego Luna shines with two goals as USA advances to Gold Cup final vs. Mexico

Laken Litman

College Football & Soccer Analyst

Diego Luna scored two goals in the first 15 minutes and the U.S. men’s national team overcame late adversity to beat Guatemala 2-1 and advance to the Gold Cup final.

Fresh off a dramatic penalty shootout in the quarterfinal, the Americans put together a character-building win in front of a raucous, pro-Guatemala crowd on Wednesday in St. Louis. The USMNT dominated early before enduring some nervy moments against a team that had nothing to lose.

It was just a few weeks ago that the headlines surrounding this team were all about Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, Antonee “Jedi” Robinson and the other American mainstays who were not on this summer’s roster for one reason or another. Now, after some impressive and gutsy performances, this rag-tag group that has only played together for a few weeks will prepare to play in the Gold Cup final on Sunday.

Here are takeaways from the match:

Diego Luna’s star continues to rise

In a tournament where U.S. players are doing everything in their power to state their case for a 2026 World Cup roster spot, Luna’s effort and determination has been impossible to ignore.

The Real Salt Lake midfielder bagged a brace in the first 15 minutes, showing off his creativity and confidence. The first goal came in the fourth minute when Luca de la Torre’s shot was blocked and Luna finished with his left foot to give the USMNT the early start it needed.

His second goal came in the 15th minute when Malik Tillman switched the point of attack to find Luna just outside the box. Luna stepped over the ball before striking it – with his right foot this time – past goalkeeper Kenderson Navarro to score his third-ever international goal.

Luna has certainly come a long way since being left off the U.S. Olympics roster last summer. And he’s going to pose an interesting predicament for manager Mauricio Pochettino when he is ultimately forced to figure out how to get Luna on the field alongside Pulisic at the World Cup.

“He is absolutely lighting up the Gold Cup,” Landon Donovan said on the FOX Sports broadcast during the first half. “Fantastic quality and work rate. This man has become an absolute star.”

U.S. can’t maintain fast start

The U.S. dominated the first 15 minutes with both of Luna’s goals coming in those early moments of the match. Guatemala, meanwhile, played the remaining 75 with desperation and put the USMNT on its heels.

Olger Escobar scored in the 80th minute – after Pochettino had already subbed off guys like Luna and Tyler Adams – riling up an already rowdy crowd. But the USMNT was able to hold on for a stressful final 10 minutes, which included a big-time save by Matt Freese at the near post in stoppage time.

It would be easy to criticize the U.S. for not maintaining its intensity for the full 90 minutes of a tournament semifinal. Especially after rallying a fan base by beating Costa Rica in a quarterfinal penalty shootout. But this is a young team that’s still gelling, learning and figuring out what Pochettino and his staff want from them.

It wasn’t perfect, but the USMNT handled the pressure and did what was necessary to win a tough game and make it to a final.

What’s next for the USMNT?

The U.S. will play Mexico in the Gold Cup final in Houston on Sunday (7 p.m. ET on FOX). The last time the Americans and El Tri played was in Pochettino’s second-ever match as the USMNT manager in October and Mexico won 2-0.

Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of “Strong Like a Woman,” published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her at @LakenLitman.