Dog Mentality, Choosing the USMNT, and Life Lessons Learned as a Barista: Shoot for the Moon with Diego Luna 02/20/26

0:00You're listening to the Men in Blazers media network, Suboptimal radio. I knew right away that I broke my nose. I heard the big crack, but they didn't want to say it. I could see that they were trying to hide the emotions, the intense emotion of like, okay, this guy just broke his nose. I chose to play for the US and they support me 100%. There was no comments, no negative energy, nothing from my family. Is a taco a sandwich? Oh, no, definitely not a sandwich.

0:31As we prepare for the moonshot of the World Cup, on our very shores, just 121 days away. And I'm beyond grateful to have this gent join our team at the Men in Blazers Media Network. A gent who's got such a singular, inspirational story. He's risen to the cusp of a World Cup dream, propelled by the tenacity, the drive, the creative confidence that our nation needs. His club coach at Real Salt Lake described him best when he said, Diego will run through a wall to play soccer with Luna. you're always gonna get a dog. 10 goals, 7 assists to lead Real Salt Lake into the playoffs last season. MLS All-Star, Gentoo led the US squad in both minutes and assists last year to dig into his hero's journey, the past, the present, and all there is to come.

1:20It's an incredible joy to welcome Mr. Diego Luna. What's going on, guys? Thank you for having me. I'm really delighted to be able to dig into all of it. I do admire your story so much. What makes you want to share it with the football world in this moment, Diego? I feel like my story is, you know, a non-traditional journey. It had a lot of ups and downs, a lot of different choices, decisions to be made to reach where I'm at right now. And I think that's a super cool thing. And I'm excited to get into this and really showcase it. Spoiler alert, listeners. It ends well, but we're going to go to a lot of places in episode one, which starts 121 days today from the World Cup, first of all.

2:01Diego, how much do you find your mind wandering to it, the US squad, the kickoff, the tournament on home turf? Is it something that you even let yourself think about? Definitely. I think that's one of the big goals I have in mind. Of course, we have small goals, short-term goals, but the World Cup's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and to have it on home soil, it's definitely crossing my mind. Once or twice a day, maybe, right? But no, it's super exciting. Is it really? Because footballers always say, you know, you take one game at a time, you don't think that far ahead. But like when you're at nighttime, flicking through Netflix, is it like, oh my God, the World Cup?

2:35Yeah, and I think that's exactly right. I think every day it's like, all right, we got the next game, the next training here for Real Salt Lake. But at the long term, at the end of the day, what's the big goal this year? And that's to be a part of the World Cup. So definitely. Right now we find you in preseason with Real Salt Lake in California. MLS season starts in 11 days. Can you talk about how you feel after the off season, not so much physically, but mentally right now? How does it feel at the beginning? You know, you're at the base of the mountain again at the fifth season in the league and you're about to climb.

3:07Yeah, it feels good. It feels good to be back with the guys. It feels good to be back with the staff, getting to know the team and now being very familiar with the league and how this works, going into this with a good, comfortable, you know, head on my shoulders. And now, you know, in a very important year to go out there and perform and showcase myself for a very important year. A year 2026, which is absolutely, from a football perspective, so unbelievably life-changing for all of us. But I want to look back at the last 12 months, which, honestly, watching you, it's been extraordinary. I want to know what it was been like to relive some of these moments because it has been a little bit like being in a movie.

3:46Some of these scenes that you've experienced, they are. They're like ripped almost from fiction. Yeah, definitely. I think there's definitely days, and this off-season, and I had time to look back and revision these journeys and these events and these certain pieces of time in my life that kind of made me who I am and have now unlocked a new level to what my journey can go to. So I think it's been super exciting. I'm fascinated to see with time how you processed it because unbelievably it was just two years ago that you made your debut for the US, January 2024 at a January camp under Greg Berhalter.

4:18But you really came to the National Four in your third appearance with the US national team. Your first ever start, Mauricio Pochettino, then the manager. Yeah. The Gold Cup last May. Really a remarkable time because the team entered with an MLS heavy squad. They needed big performances. And when you look at it, the moment of transformation was that second game against Costa Rica. You took an elbow to the face from Crescel Perez in the 15th minute, went to the sideline for treatment. Take us to that moment, the pain. You must have been dazed. What did you feel? Were you aware that the medics were talking to you?

4:55Was anyone telling you to come off? Did you even for a moment doubt you could continue? I knew right away that I broke my nose. I heard the big crack and it all kind of went numb and a sharp pain. So I kind of went over to the sideline and I could see it in their eyes that they were like, oh, shoot, his nose is broken. But they didn't want to say it. I could see that they were trying to hide the emotions, the intense emotion of like, okay, this guy just broke his nose. And they were trying to tell me to come off and, you know, come off the field. Pochettino was there saying that it's a friendly, you know, you don't need to risk it anymore just like in case it gets worse.

5:32Like just come off and we'll figure something out. And I told them, please, like, no, let me play at least until halftime, at least until halftime. And then from there you can make your decision. He was grateful enough to give me the opportunity, stayed in, plugged up my nose, went back in, and the rest is kind of history. I'm fascinated by this. You did. You trotted back on. Fresh jersey. Cotton swab jammed up each nostril. And I think a minute later, you sent a stunning ball to split the defence, allowed Brian White to score. A game that ended 3-0. Much needed win. Mauricio Pochettino said post-game that he knew the nose was broken.

6:12Watching you do what you did. he coined the phrase these are his words big balls yeah what did it feel like to hear that that was a funny story um i was in the hospital i was just waking up from surgery you know all off the off the drugs and all off this this thing and uh my whole family was there and and my agents in the room and they were calling me you know big balls luna and i was confused i was i was all over the place they showed me the interview and uh no it was just from there it's been it's kind of catched on and it's been funny since i was covering the game with clint dempsey um and immediately post game he pointed to you he said he loved what you brought to the team when we needed it he actually said you reminded him of him just that never quit spirit the willingness to to grab a game, to grab a moment by the collar confidently and make it yours.

7:10Do you relate to that? I think that comes from, you know, the life I kind of grew up with, my family, the background that I've had. And it's kind of just in my blood, this dog mentality, this never quit, this work for what you get, work for what you receive. It's put me in great positions. So hopefully from there to lean into more bigger opportunities in the future. How do you describe your own game, Diego? for what you bring that's singular onto the field in your own words? I think for me, it's that dog mentality is really defined on the overall type of player that I am. But within that comes the creativity, the joyfulness to watch, the grace that I can play with, the different types of things that I bring to the game.

7:54But I think under all that is that mentality of just hard work, grit, and then unleashing, you know, the fun and the joyful side to it. You've just nailed everything I think most US fans just want and crave from the individuals who pull on the US jersey. And this moment, you've talked about how this moment was life changing for you. You've talked about how you've taken some time in the offseason to process this past 12 months. I mean, these are like movie scenes that you live, but it's your life. And that life did change in that moment. You were on the brink of the US squad. You'd not played in a long time.

8:32you'd charge back onto the field and you'd made a place yours you got a lot more playing time a lot more call-ups how have you processed it what do you look upon that moment like now for with hindsight I think everything happens for a reason and I think that was a moment that I could have fell or got back up you know with my mentality and with whatever was in me it was just the right thing that happened I made the right decision then it's up to you you take the opportunity or or you don't. And I think every opportunity that I've gotten, I've rose to the occasion. I've given something to the team and that's just the beginning.

9:06And hopefully to continue to do that and get more opportunities to showcase myself. I mean, it's fascinating. Very much in that Gold Cup Crucible, a legend was born for the US fan base. So many human beings emotionally connect to you. I know I do. Tim Howard said, quote, this kid is going to be a cult hero. Christian Pulisic said that you're an awesome kid. He came on this show. I asked him, who does he like playing with? He was like, Diego Luna. Tyler Adams dubbed you, quote, a special type of player. When you hear all of this, knowing how hard you had to, you know, fight to make this movement yours, how do you even begin to process them?

9:48It hits in an emotional spot, definitely. Because these are guys that I've looked up to, the guys that have done it, right? That are doing it right, that are making the right decisions, that have sacrificed, that have went through all these hard times. And to now hear those words to somebody who's putting in the work, who I'm trying and I'm giving it what I can. And now to hear it from these big names, it's super emotional, super awesome, a very good feeling that I'm on the right track and to continue on that and make my name as big as theirs one day. God willing.

10:28I do want to go back to the source of the river that is Diego Luna. To go back to the beginning, we talk about your journey, how hard you've had to fight. So for those who aren't familiar, you were born in Sunnyvale, California, just outside of San Jose. Your father, Alberto, former Earthquakes player, your three older siblings all fell in love with the game. I think they all went into coaching. You joined Palo Alto Soccer Club, where your father and your brother were coaching. Age five was when you started. what was football to you at that age was it the way you connected to your family to your community or was it always something more it was always something more I don't think there was a day without the ball at my feet my family was a soccer family like you said so I was at the field from age five till I moved away at 15 I was at the field maybe six seven hours a day from after school straight until 8 30 p.m at night uh and that's just the family that i was in you know after training after training and then my training would be in the evening so i was there all day um doing my homework with the ball at my feet doing what i needed to and then finally get the opportunity to train at 7 p.m at night and then do it all again the next day um and it was just it was just you know give credit to my family who pushed who pushed me who who would take me out to train my siblings my brother and my dad for coaching me and just always being there for me in that aspect they were they were great kids listening take care of the details always do your homework but do it with the ball at your feet and you two can follow diego luna's pathway i do want to say though even age five you were in the struggle you played against kids twice your age which is like man i mean i mean they would have been like men to you they were like 10 year old men in comparison to five-year-old Diego Luna.

12:19Yeah, no, that was, it was a funny story is that I joined my dad's, my dad's team who was coaching a U10 team at the time. And they put my name on the, on the roster and sent it in. And they returned the roster and said, you have a, you messed up this kid's age. He's five years younger. And they sent him back like, no, that's, that's, he's going to play. He's that's, that's, so they put that back in. And that was always just a funny story the league sent it back the roster and stuff and and we had to send it back and tell him that no this is he's gonna play up five years um and that's that's how it went the legend of moon baby was born this is this is this is mad diego are you aware how mad it is i mean five years of age i was barely out of diapers at five years old you were just chopping and dicing 10 year olds no yeah it was it was definitely uh a crazy i think we got to find it but i have some old videos and pictures and stuff like that and it was just a little kid on the field versus some big kids and getting getting bullied getting knocked down but from that you know that moment there it kind of just led it laid down the pathway of like what's this going to be like for the rest of my life that is formative and remarkable imagine you're spitting out baby teeth like the ones will grow in i don't need them um but this is the beginning from the beginning it was a singular pathway walked and you kept making these decisions got into the san jose earthquakes you set up and then decided age 15 you were going to leave it you said at the time i felt stuck i felt like i wasn't improving i wanted to try something else that was exactly what happened i was there the earthquakes did a great uh a great job at developing me for two years two and a half years but then i i hit a roadblock where i just felt like i wasn't improving i felt like um even playing up i felt like i was just in this kind of this this block of not moving forward And at that moment, I felt like it was the time for a change.

14:14And that's when I made that decision to head out to Arizona. Yeah, to head out to Arizona, age 15, to live on your own at the Barcelona Residency Academy. I mean, 15 years old. I mean, it's like you live in dog years. Like you're five years old is like other people's 35 and you're 15 is, you know, whatever. I mean, it's remarkable, though. You said about it, my dream was always to play professional. I wasn't going to go to college. I wasn't going to do something else. I was going to go to play soccer. And I think I took a big risk of leaving home. When did you know that this was the life you wanted?

14:52At what age did you decide, I'm going to do this professional thing? And when you thought about it, what did you even think was possible, Diego? The professional with Diego Luna, what did you think you could be? I knew it was something I wanted to do since the last time I could remember. seven years old, 10 years old. I knew what I wanted to do. Going to Earthquakes vs. Galaxy, Stanford Stadium, we were tailgate. We would be there all day. And I knew that one day I'm going to play here. I'm going to play in a stadium like this. I'm going to play in front of all these people. My family's going to come watch.

15:24There's going to be people there wanting to watch me. I don't know how I'm going to get there. I don't know what's this path going to be like. But all I know is this is what I'm going to do. And that's what comes with the decisions that I made every single time that I felt comfortable, I had to change something up. Every time I reached the level that I felt like I wasn't improving, I had to change something up. So I think that's been the pathway and yeah, it's been crazy. That's it. Every time you've hit your comfort level, you're like, I'm going to tear it down, push myself into discomfort over and over again.

15:57Because you did it. MLS teams were interested in you, but you chose the road less traveled. You went to the second division, USL, the mighty locomotive FC in the incredible town of El Paso, age 17. You played in front of crowds, I think on average 6 ,000. But again, if you rise, you said, I wanted playing time. I think it's been the different route. I've always got a chip on my shoulder. I mean, you clearly backed yourself to place yourself in, really, the road less traveled. But was there ever a moment when you thought, this is it, this is as good as it's going to get for me? No, there was never a moment like that, that El Paso was going to be kind of where I stopped or where I ended, or this is where I was going to, my top level.

16:39Credit to El Paso, an amazing city, an amazing club that developed me. Mark Lowry, who did an extremely good job at managing a young 17-year-old coming into the professional environment. And I think it was the same thing. And it's always been that same mindset. I'm going to do what I do here as best as I can. And once I feel too comfortable, once I'm accomplishing the top and doing extremely well, then it's time to make a change. But I think for me, El Paso was a very big highlight in my life and in my journey that taught me a lot personally on the field and off the field. I mean, this gamble for extra playing time paid off.

17:16You made quite the name for yourself. 41 league games, 13 goals, 7 assists, all before turning 19. You're going to MLS. We'll get there. It gets more complicated. but what advice do you give younger players listening to this so far Diego when they're approaching their own decisions about their own careers I think you have to take into consideration all the factors I think that's something that a lot of people don't do I saw in my own opinion speaking of myself I saw that the MLS academies and the MLS youth teams were were getting players through but there was a lot of players that were being left out and for me i i i was like why not why not switch it up why not go up to the next what's the next level above playing at one of the academy levels right it's going to a championship a league one or college right and i had the opportunity to go to this to the to usl championship and uh perform there and showcase myself earn earn what what is it my the playing time the the next opportunity um and different things and i think that's what what was kind of my thing because it didn't allow me to to get too far ahead to get too far behind it kind of kept me on a straight path of like here here perfect perfect all right i'm at the top jump next step and then continue to do that more and more next step came a$250 ,000 transfer to Real Salt Lake in 2022 19 years of age USL record but after the initial breakthrough you became a starter you scored seven goals there was a spell where you struggled to score the goals dried up spent some time on the bench um you realize you're having panic attacks yeah I think it was your brother Armando yeah um decided to go and seek help from a therapist and you've said you've talked about this time and I love how direct you are about this because this to me is the important stuff.

19:08You said, quote, it's not cool to be depressed and tough. You know what's actually tough? It's facing your own issues. It's confronting your deepest fears and traumas. It's being vulnerable and opening up with someone. Here you go. Can you take us into this moment and what you learned about yourself? I learned that stereotype was men should be strong. Men should hold in emotions. And I just wanted to break that. I felt like it wasn't right. I think everyone needs help. And the strongest part of you and the strongest part of growth and accomplishing things in life is making sure that you have a good head on your shoulders.

19:52And whether that comes with talking to someone or other tools you can use that can help your mental health, you know, why not take something that's going to allow you to be happier, to feel more clear, to feel more fresh, and to make decisions more smoothly. I went to get help. My brother Armando pushed me into getting help and was there on me to take that step because it was a very, you know, kind of risky step, but also something that you could say was embarrassing at the time, right? People think it's not something common for men to go speak to a therapist and get help. So, you know, kudos to my brother for being there for me and pushing me to get that help.

20:38And after my first session, never looked back, never looked back. It was leaving that, you know, that meeting was just felt like pounds of stress and stuff just floating off my body. So it was an amazing, amazing time. I've always believed that the agony, the traumas, the pain we're all going through, keeping it in is the greatest danger. Letting it out, as you say, is like way off. And you have the data to prove it. I think after that first session, immediately back onto the field, scored in your next game. Seven months later, you won MLS Young Player of the Year for 2024. for do you think you could have unlocked this full potential in that moment without the the therapy no not at all I think uh the therapy was the was the key I think you there's always things in life and it's never I can't do something it's either you're gonna find a way to do it you're gonna ask somebody for help you're gonna find somebody to help you do it um and that's that's what it was for me is is finding somebody that could help me get through this and now um it unlocked and the week after literally it's just evidence right there man it's the week after i score a goal and it's just crazy assist from your therapist i'll be the first mls assist by a therapist yeah please god the first of many many more but what draws me to you diego to be candid and to your story is that you carry side by side both a willingness to make yourself vulnerable but also your ferocious tenacity, your force of will.

22:21This is a question from a fan, Spencer Hughes from Chattanooga, Tennessee. He writes, Diego, you have an incredible, almost infinite amount of grit. Did someone instill that in you? Is it something that you've learned or is it just something that you've always had intrinsically inside of you? And I'll answer this in two ways. I think I've always had grit and a hardworking mentality because of my family's background and, you know, kind of the struggles we've had. That and what my family kind of my parents gave to me and put into me that that this is, you know, you need to work hard for things that you want.

22:59At the same time, I think I've had people along my journey, coaches, friends, family members. And I could give you an obvious one is Pablo Mastroni of Real Salt Lake. You know, I didn't play. I didn't play for six months. Right. My my first kind of year and with Real Salt Lake. And that was because he told me straight up that I wasn't working hard enough. I wasn't defending hard enough. I didn't have that mentality. And once that flipped and that switched, it allowed me to become this very special player that worked both sides of the ball and had this creative talent. But on the defensive side, he was working his butt off for the team.

23:38And now that instills that grit mentality, that dog mentality, is that I can be a creative player, I can score goals, I can assist. But what makes me very special is that I'm going to do the off-the-ball work defensively for the team and have that trust for my teammates that I'm going to do that defensive work for them. So I think that's something that I've learned and is very special. The seven-month spell in which you were saying, no, you're not playing, you're not working hard enough. How many of those months, the early months, were you pissed off and annoyed by that criticism? Every single one, every day.

24:14I wake in a train. I was, oh, man, here we go. But it was, yeah, here we go. But at the end of the day, it was like, here we go, but I'm going to do the work, but I'm pissed off. I'm mad. I want to play. I want to play. I want to play. And you're not playing me. And one day he said, all right, you're going to play. And look what happens. I took the opportunity and never looked back, man. That's just how things are. Mastorani is Mr. Miyagi. It is wipe on, wipe off crap that he taught you there. And that's seven months. And I think we're all better off for it, Pablo, you legend.

24:54This moment, I mean, there's that famous story about yourself, the self-improvement drive, the desire to really force yourself into uncomfortable situations. That famous story that you realized, your communication skills were weak. So you famously decided to moonlight as a barista, I believe. Shout out to Dutch Brothers for nine months. I mean, it sounds like it was a promo or a commercial partnership, but it wasn't. You slung espressos, cappuccinos, the odd latte. You learn how to make eye contact with strangers. you develop your social skills, you became your full self. Whose idea was it? And what life lessons did you learn as a barista that you carry with you to this day?

25:38It was just another topic of what can I do? I was very lonely in Utah for a while. You know, I didn't have family, new city, new state. And I spoke with my brother again about what can I do with all this extra time in the evening you know i get home at 11 12 o 'clock and now it's just sit in my room sit in the house you know right and we spoke about what can we do get a get another job get something that could benefit that you could experience life a little bit because you've all you've known is is soccer right like it's it's been this so we came down to a conclusion of like why not be a barista we had other little jobs but like that's something that you could do four hours a day, something to do extra.

26:22And what are the pros to this job? You don't need the money, right? But on the other side, you're going to build social skills, which is something that I struggled with a lot. I was very awkward. I couldn't communicate, keep eye contact, keeping a conversation going, how to communicate to different types of people. So it was something that I really struggled with and I didn't like about myself is that I would get nervous speaking to people. So this job came up and I went through the whole interview process and everything. And it was it was funny and it was cool. And I got to learn about people's days and how much a cup of coffee can influence somebody's day.

27:04And I think that was the biggest thing is that you have hundreds of people coming by every day with different journeys, things going on in their life, struggles, positive things, financial problems. And this cup of liquid can change their day, can make them happy. This conversation with me through a window can really uplift their day, change the direction of their day by this. And I think that was very, very special and something super cool that I would have not known if I didn't do this opportunity. That's really poetic, man. I've got to be candid. It is incredibly beautiful. What's the secret to a great latte, Diego?

27:44it oh man make sure you tamper your your your beans right tamper them and then uh and then just having the the right milk and steaming the milk to the right uh the right heat level and then i think you should be solid and then whatever flavors you want to throw in there um stuff like that but uh nah yeah anyone can do it shout out to dutch brothers um a lot of our audience are fall in love with these kind of stories. I am thrilled to be sharing your journey this year, experiencing the wonder of this incredible moment for football in the United States, football in our nation with you. But there's one story I don't want to skip over.

28:25We're going to get to fan questions in one moment. But how did you choose to play for the United States in the first place? Your parents, both from Michoacan, Mexico, you could have played for either nation. How do you go about processing a decision like that? Can you describe the process and how long it took for you? Yeah, there was always thoughts of playing for either country, right? For playing for Mexico or US. I'm Mexican-American. That's how it is. I'm Mexican-American. My family, proud Mexicans. And I was born here in the States. And I'm a proud American, Mexican-American. Perfect. So I think it was just really based on what country was going to give me the opportunity.

29:06and and off that what country was I born in and what country has given me the the life and the soccer to be able to even play at the national team right with with professional with academy and stuff like that I was I was born and raised here in the U.S. and I think that's that's pretty much already a big uh you know decision of of who I would want to play for right being born and raised in the U.S. but it definitely did not mean that I was ashamed to play for Mexico or I didn't want to play for Mexico but I think it was just a choice that was from the heart and what felt more comfortable for me and what the U.S.

29:48has given me the opportunity to showcase myself and to really perform at the levels that I wanted to perform at. I mean it is beautiful to hear you talk about this because it's all that's good about football. I do know as a kid your family was split down the middle, like a lot of families. And during US-Mexico games, you'd wear your US jersey and you'd cry when Mexico scored, which I just love. You'd tell people in the room to stop cheering. So what was that like in that moment for you with your family when you made your decision? My family supported me. They love being Mexican. They love being American.

30:23But I think what they love more is family, right? So supporting each other. Soccer is still just the game. So with whatever thing, family is the most important thing. And they are so happy, so grateful that I chose to play for the U.S. And they support me 100%. And there was no comments, no negative energy, nothing from my family. And that's something I'm extremely grateful for. And now they're all USA jerseys on, no Mexico jerseys. So, you know, what's stronger than the sport is family right now. And I think that shows it is that now they're at every USA game. Anytime they're playing, they're on USA jerseys.