What Is Diego Luna's Nationality, Ethnicity & Religion? Is He Mexican?
Diego Luna has become one of the top stars of the USMNT this summer at the Gold Cup and has put a strong case for himself to be part of the World Cup next year.
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Luna's creativity on the pitch has amazed U.S. soccer fans. His biggest competitive USMNT test comes on Sunday in the Gold Cup Final against the regional rivals, Mexico.
What some fans may not know is that there is a connection between Luna and Mexico. Luna will be playing against a Mexico side who are looking to go back-to-back in the Gold Cup, having won the tournament in 2023.
The USMNT has not won the tournament since 2021 and is looking to win its eighth Gold Cup in its history.
Diego Luna's Background
Diego Luna is of Mexican descent and was born in Sunnyvale, California. Both of Luna's parents are of Mexican descent.
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Luna was eligible to represent Mexico through his parents. His religion is unknown as that information has not been shared publicly. Luna considers himself a Mexican-American and was open to joining the Mexican national team in the past.
Just last summer, Luna spoke about not closing the doors of representing the Mexican national team after not making the final roster of the Summer Olympics USMNT.
Luna even rejected the opportunity to be an alternative option for the U.S. Olympic roster to focus on Real Salt Lake and look at his options on the international level.
In an interview with ESPN, Luna expressed his position on choosing the right national team to represent.
Diego Luna: "I've never closed down any doors. For me, it's continuing to perform and who's going to give me the best opportunity. I know there's some changes going on at the Mexican Football Federation, U.S. Soccer, too, but there are some big changes going on, so we'll see what happens there."
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Why Diego Luna chose the USMNT over Mexico
Despite the interest in representing the Mexican national team, Luna decided to represent the USMNT after earning a call-up to the senior team for the first time in January 2024.
Luna started gaining more consistency with the USMNT since the start of 2025 when Pochettino called him up for friendlies against Venezuela and Costa Rica in January.
Luna never represented Mexico at the youth international level but did represent the U-20 and U-23 USMNT.
In an interview with Brian Sciaretta in 2022, Luna explained why he chose to represent the USMNT over Mexico, and despite a near switch to Mexico last year, he stuck with his decision to play for Team USA.
Diego Luna: "The rivalry [Mexico vs USA] is a big thing, and I would always have my USA jersey on [when he was younger]... I have respect, and I love Mexico and I love being Mexican, but I grew up in the United States... Ever since I was born here in the US, I was raised here. It gave me what I have now. It got me to where I'm at now. I was born and raised in the United States, so it's only right to play for the country that they raised me to who I am.'
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Related: The Hidden Meaning Behind Every Diego Luna Tattoo
Related: Donovan Calls Out Olympic Coach After Diego Luna Brace
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 4, 2025, where it first appeared.
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