Soccer <\/p>\n
Diego Luna<\/a> woke up in a daze, unaware of his newfound US men\u2019s national team<\/a> cult-hero status.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Real Salt Lake<\/a>‘s star midfielder had just gotten out of surgery to repair a broken nose sustained during a 3-0 friendly win over Costa Rica<\/a> in January \u2013 a defining performance that was equal parts guts and talent, with the 21-year-old sporting gauze to stop the bleeding while he assisted Brian White<\/a>‘s opening strike at Inter&Co Stadium.<\/p>\n \u201cMy family was there and my agents, and they were calling me \u2018Big Balls\u2019 and all this stuff,\u201d Luna said in Off The Ball<\/a>, the league’s new video feature series.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was hilarious. I thought my robe was showing or something.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Little did Luna know, the moniker came from none other than USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino, who famously praised<\/a> the 2024 MLS Young Player of the Year\u2019s proverbial testicular fortitude during a memorable post-game interview.<\/p>\n \u201cHe meant that I was determined to play for my country, fighting through things and stuff like that,\u201d Luna said. \u201cIt was super cool and I think it might\u2019ve been the best decision of my life to continue to play with a broken nose, right?<\/p>\n \u201c’Cause it\u2019s shown people a side of me and it\u2019s opened doors.\u201d<\/p>\n Luna, who will look to open more doors at this summer’s 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup<\/a> with the USMNT, discussed his rising profile, focus on mental health and love of body art \u2013 all while getting a new tattoo \u2013 in the premiere episode of Off The Ball.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n