Diego Luna is uncharacteristically exasperated.
In the stomach of Shell Energy Stadium, dressed in his crew issued Real Salt Lake polo and an expressionless glance on his face, the younger midfielder recognized affectionately in Salt Lake County as “Moon Boy” stares blankly into a pc display after the largest sport in his younger occupation.
Space City hasn’t been type to Luna this yr, and ultimate Saturday’s spherical one 2023 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs defeat to the Houston Dynamo isn’t any exception.
While the U.S. Open Cup Semifinal loss to Houston again in August nonetheless stings of what ifs and if onlys, Saturday’s loss dealt a unique roughly frustration.
This is the glance Luna personified.
RSL’s quantity 26 shone below the Texan evening sky, scoring on his postseason debut, his 3rd function in as many video games, turning into the youngest-ever postseason goalscorer in Claret-and-Cobalt historical past at simply twenty years previous.
When KSL.com’s Caleb Turner requested him about his newest fulfillment, Luna holds his gaze into the computer and concisely however courteously replies:
“I think it felt like another goal. Of course, you’re happy when you score goals, and I don’t think what type of game it is changes that. I think it’s a goal and you feel happy in the moment, but the most important thing is the result. And my goal means nothing if we can’t get the three points.”
As Turner asks his ultimate query of the evening, “What can you guys do better in the next to hold on there at the end and get the result?” Luna’s eyes shift a long way to the suitable, and it’s obvious he’s not within the room as he solutions, however fairly on the fringe of his personal 18 backyard field, replaying Houston’s game-winning function over and yet again.
“I think we can be more organized and I think there were silly mistakes on that goal. Losing the ball in our defensive third is something that we don’t need to mess around with, and I think we need to just clear it, that’s on me individually. In moments like that, just get the ball up the field.”
Nearly each skilled athlete will let you know how disenchanted they’re once they lose a postseason sport; simply as many will most likely have it weigh on their face like Luna.
A month into his 20’s, and with a lot of accidents around the backbone of RSL, what units the usA. U-20 Youth National Team International aside in fresh weeks is how he has stepped up as a pacesetter each on and off the sphere, and in taking duty.
When Real Salt Lake hosts Houston at America First Field on Monday for a must-win sport two, RSL lovers will be expecting the similar from their younger starlet from Sunnyvale, Calif. They’ll additionally most likely bet Luna will likely be greater than able to step up at the box in addition to the rostrum once more after the following maximum necessary fit of his existence.
Luna’s mentality is what the RSL entrance place of business was once making a bet on when it took a possibility at the then 18-year-old within the USL Championship. From that perspective, they couldn’t be happier.
The ability is there and it’s particular. After dipping his ft in Major League Soccer ultimate season, Luna leapt off the deep-end in 2023, saying himself in Head Coach Pablo Mastroeni’s beginning XI, particularly today.
After a quiet begin to the season and leaving for the U-20 World Cup all through portions of May and June, Luna returned to Utah and in an instant began to get to paintings, beginning 19 of 24 imaginable video games for RSL throughout all competitions since June 10, recording 5 targets and 3 assists alongside the way in which.
When having a look on the knowledge equipped by means of FBref, his dribbling skill and creativity leap off the web page.
From this chart, which compares Luna to different midfielders all through the 2023 MLS season, the younger playmaker reads as a participant who’s a deadly provider of the ball, likes to take his defender on one on one, and an artistic spark within the ultimate 3rd.
There’s a reason why Luna was once named in MLSSoccer.com’s prestigious 22U22 checklist previous this yr, and being within the 97th percentile of shot-creating movements for league midfielders is spectacular in itself.
Tactically, Luna has made it no secret that his favourite place to play is the vintage quantity 10 function, the place he extra often runs out for the USYNT. For the ones unfamiliar, a go back and forth to YouTube college to observe the likes of Mesut Ozil, Riquelme, and Isco can be a perfect get started. In essentially the most elementary sense, a bunch 10 operates centrally in the back of the striker, above the remainder of the midfield and is helping orchestrate the attacking section of play whilst additionally linking the midfield to the forwards.
Soccer romantics, enthusiasts and common fans will most likely all the time gravitate to this mythical place, whilst it is arguably been phased out of the sport as time is going on and ways evolve. However in MLS, the #10 nonetheless reigns ideally suited with stars like Luciano Acosta, Emmanuel Reynoso, Tiago Almada and Carles Gil incessantly main the league’s spotlight reels and MVP balloting.
The query has been posed as to why Luna hasn’t performed within the 10 function incessantly at RSL and the solution takes on a large number of causes. This season, when totally wholesome the Claret-and-Cobalt in most cases roll out in a 4-4-2, which means that 4 defenders, 4 midfielders and two forwards. In the engine room of RSL’s maximum used formation are two central midfielders, who’re each and every flanked by means of a large midfielder. It is right here out huge, the place Luna was once incessantly deployed right through the common season.
When having a look at Luna’s 2023 season heatmap because of Sofascore, you’ll be able to see he likes to function within the halfspaces between the huge space and the middle of the sphere. As a large midfielder, he’s introduced the liberty to waft inside of and lend a hand RSL function during the middle, or in finding overlapping runs from the fullback in the back of him.
There are some nice examples of this from RSL’s spectacular 3-1 street win in opposition to Saint Louis CITY again in June. Set up in a 4-4-2, Luna scored his first function this sport and additionally recorded two assists. As you watch the highlights (by no means a foul time to observe those), check out his positioning and the distance he has.
On resolution day at Colorado and in opposition to Houston ultimate weekend, RSL covered up in a 3-5-2 which necessarily was once 3 defenders, two central midfielders, two wingbacks, a #10 (Luna) and two forwards.
This clip underneath is helping show why taking part in Luna centrally is so tantalizing.
For RSL Technical Director Kurt Schmid, Luna’s skill to play each huge and centrally is just a plus.
“I don’t think he has a position he has to play for us, I think he can play either one of those roles. I still think it’s easier for him in a wide position, because he can find a little hole in the half space and get himself unmarked and get on the ball a little bit easier, and I think for me, the right place to play him is anywhere where he gets on the ball more.”
To Schmid’s level, when RSL performed the LA Galaxy on October 14 covered up in a 4-4-2, Luna had 73 touches, main the crew. When RSL covered up in a 3-5-2 with Diego on the 10 the following week in opposition to Colorado on Decision Day, he completed with 45 (Against Houston in Round One ultimate Saturday, 38). A small however fresh pattern measurement.
“If having him start wide gets him on the ball more, that’s better for our team,” Schmid mentioned “If placing him centrally implies that he does not see the ball as a lot, then we need to weigh that in opposition to the standard of his movements when he does get the ball. And, you understand, if the ones are such a lot upper high quality, then possibly it is sensible.
But if they are the similar high quality, then I’d fairly have him get at the ball extra. So it is, it is a little little bit of a catch 22.”
MLSSoccer.com author and MLS ExtraTime host Matt Doyle stocks a equivalent feeling as Schmid.
“I think Kurt hit the nail on the head In terms of getting him in a spot where he’s getting reps on the ball, not just because It helps the team because he’s very good at ball progression and good in tight spaces and doesn’t give it away cheaply, but just because you want talented young players to get on the ball more often.”
“I think it’s worked in that sense. And with the idea that he gets a little bit better at reading defenses. You can eventually move him into the interior full time and, and have him be that, that classic number 10.”
“Go to his FBref radar and across the board, he’s adding so much value. It’s insane. What he’s not really doing at a high level yet, though, is the final ball. It’s not because he doesn’t have the vision or the touch. It’s because when you go from youth soccer, USL, to MLS, in the span of, really, like, 24 months you’re making a number of big jumps, and the hardest thing to do in this sport is to play the final ball.”
“He’s already done the ball progression and understanding where and how to receive in traffic and, the defensive part, he’s been a monster. He’s always already checked those boxes and then the final box, you check that and he’s the, he’s your number 10.”
What’s so thrilling about Luna in this day and age is that the overall ball is beginning to come via. The younger midfielder has scored in his ultimate 3 suits for RSL, and his affect at the crew has best grown because the season’s opened up. When it involves attainable, Luna has best simply began to tip the proverbial iceberg.
“The United States hasn’t produced a ton of players like him historically, because I do think he is a real number 10,” Doyle mentioned. “I think he’s a guy who if he stays in MLS, four years from now, we could be talking about him the way we talk about Lucho Acosta, Tiago Amada.”
“Look, if he keeps developing over the next 24 months the way he’s developed over the last 24 months, I don’t think there’s a cap for him in what he can do. He looks like a kid who could be a centerpiece of a title contending team to me.”
Both Doyle and Schmid have watched sufficient avid gamers and noticed sufficient football to make your head spin. For Schmid, he’s noticed a lot of avid gamers with a whole lot of attainable, that’s his process, for him, it’s about who will maximize it.
A key side in doing that, in line with Schmid, is mentality. So a lot in order that when scouting Diego whilst he was once at El Paso Locomotive within the USL Championship, he spoke to the Club’s head trainer, considered one of his former colleagues, who best reassured him of Luna.
“There are more players than people realize that have exceptional potential and that top end potential,” mentioned Schmid.
“There are not enough players that have the mental side of the game to fulfill their potential, I think, one of the key parts for our signing of Diego was talking to his coach and after that, there was no doubt in my mind.” Then when he confirmed up right here, I have in mind the primary day of coaching, you understand, Pablo got here in and I used to be like, Hey, how’s Diego?
“And he was once similar to, Oh guy, what a perfect teammate.
I did not have any considerations about his mentality prior to that, however then listening to that it simply strengthened all of it. It does not ensure that he is going to be this large time participant essentially, however, it does reassure us that Diego has a truly, truly just right shot at pleasant his attainable, higher than most of the people have.”
Back within the Houston press space, mins prior to Luna sat down in entrance of the pc, and took the duty for the Houston function whilst glancing over his personal, his head trainer Pablo Mastroeni sat down and spoke back a query about his younger midfielders efficiency.
“I assumed he had an out of this world sport.
I feel we must be higher at the ball to get guys like Luna and Sava at the ball and in higher positions. The something I’ll say concerning the function that he scored. It truly got here from an implausible quantity of effort to damage past and get to the spot that he were given to. That takes numerous dogged paintings.
It’s truly attention-grabbing, every now and then it takes some time for a tender participant to roughly develop into his personal. I’ve noticed within the ultimate 3 video games a change in Diego and no longer in his attacking features, however within the dedication that he has to the crew and doing all of the little issues to lend a hand everybody else out.
Obviously scoring in 3 consecutive video games is enormous for a tender participant, however he is proven numerous management at the box, his communique, his positioning, his selections are getting higher and higher.
I’m so tremendous happy with the younger guy. I feel he is installed numerous paintings within the ultimate yr to truly profit from those moments, and now we simply want the remainder of the gang to apply.”
As Luna takes his seat within the following mins, he’s pissed, like everybody else within the Real Salt Lake locker room, however able to stand the noise. That’s simply who Diego Luna is, and is rising to be.
The ability and much more so mentality of the younger midfielder in his first MLS postseason fit shone via Shell Energy Stadium in Houston ultimate Saturday. Here’s to it shining even brighter in Utah in sport two, and this time, everybody, Luna incorporated, is going house satisfied.
There are nonetheless tickets to be had to observe Diego Luna and Real Salt Lake take at the Houston Dynamo within the win or move house sport two of the most productive of 3 playoff sequence on Monday, November 6. Come enjoy the magic of America First Field all through the playoffs and cheer at the Claret-and-Cobalt as they struggle to stay their postseason goals alive. Tickets to be had here.
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