Diego Luna Has Officially Arrived🌜🇺🇸

Some Sad News in the Football World 💔

Rog writes: Devastated to wake to the news that Liverpool’s Diogo Jota has passed away. The 28-year-old forward, who played the game with humility, clinicality, and a childhood glee, was reported to have been in a car crash in Spain. He died alongside his brother André Filipe, a professional soccer player in the Portuguese second division. It is an awful, unfathomable story which hits so hard.  

A month ago Jota was walking around Anfield as a champion. He then paraded through the streets of Liverpool with his team and the Premier League trophy. On June 8, he won the Nations League with Portugal. Ten days ago, he was married. The photographs he posted depict a beaming human being, on top of the world, standing proudly alongside his wife, Ruta Cardoso, and his three young children. Images of beauty that are now heartbreaking to contemplate and impossible to process. Words cannot be summoned to capture the enormity of the shock and the loss. As Jurgen Klopp, a man of enormous faith posted, “This is a moment where I struggle! There must be a bigger purpose! But I can’t see it!”

Remember Diogo like this: Scoring his last goal. For Liverpool, dancing through the Everton defense to deliver Derby Day glory. As he often said, the football field was where he felt most alive, and he made so many Liverpool fans experience some of their most powerful collective memories. Those memories, and fans’ relationship to Diogo, will live on forever. Our thoughts and love go out to Diogo’s family, all at Liverpool Football Club, and Liverpool supporters across our own community.  

Savor every second of life. Never take a moment for granted. #YNWA 🙏🇵🇹💔

More: Rory Smith writes brilliantly on the suddenness of this loss.

To the Football… 🇺🇸🏆

USA 2-1 Guatemala 🇺🇸🇬🇹

The good news: Our young, raw, shorthanded squad made it to Sunday’s final in Houston. The bad news: Barely. In surreally hostile conditions on home turf in St. Louis, the United States were dominated for long spells by 106th in the world Guatemala. The experience of witnessing the game was akin to watching a rom-com movie suddenly pivot into a slasher flick. We held on, and Mexico now await. Poch’s young charges are on a CONCACAFFY hero’s journey, taking their lumps, learning their lessons, and holding on. They will become all the stronger for this experience. The question of how good we are still lingers, and, considering the “deep down in the depth chart” quality of most of these players, whether much of it matters.  

WATCH: Clint Dempsey and I break down that mood swing of a game on our USA-Guatemala episode of THE DEUCE 🇺🇸♠️

A Star is Born: Diego Luna 🌜👦

Two goals inside 15 minutes, the first a delicious finish after demonstrating sharper spidey ball awareness than all those around him, the second a must-watch moment of pure, uncorked, delirious skill. Clint Dempsey has said to us, all tournament long, that our young players have a World Cup squad place in their hands, with nothing to lose. All he wanted was for one to step up and grab the chance without fear – to take on opponents and refuse to be ignored. Alongside Malik Tillman, Diego Luna has been that player. The 21-year-old from Sunnyvale, Calif. now has three goals and two assists across five matches. Poch said post-game, "[His] attitude, hunger, desire, everything, and then for sure, the talent will appear. But that is what we expect from our athletes, that's what we want."  

I loved Luna’s own quote post game: “The game is 90 minutes of hundreds of moments, and you’ve got to execute on each one.” That is his attitude. I chatted with Diego in Austin the night before the Saudi game. I asked him what he feels like when he takes possession. He told me he tries to tell himself to just have fun, like he did as a kid playing in the park in San Jose. It reminded me of something Clint says on The Deuce, “You got to be serious about having fun.” That is what Diego Luna is doing this summer. 

Let the debates begin about whether he should now be an A-Team starter, a spark plug off the bench, or as Simon Evans suggested, Poch should unleash all his toys.

How Did 106th in the World Guatemala Then Seize the Game by the Throat and Start to Overwhelm Us? 🇬🇹

First of all — THEIR FANS ARE AMAZING. The game might have been in St. Louis, but that sold-out stadium felt like it was in Guatemala City. What a fanbase. John Strong said the terraces were “90% Guatemalan fans.” I am not Guatemalan, but when their national anthem rang out pre-game, I found the noise, and joy, and pride emanating around the stadium to be immensely moving. Let’s never use the complaint that tickets are too expensive for this tournament again – because the Guatemala fans showed out. 

The Guatemalan players fed off the fan energy and simply overwhelmed us, relentlessly pressing the U.S. backline into mistakes that against a sharper team would have been punished. Before the U.S. scored their second, Poch’s boys had 70% possession. After it, we had just 40%. We were outshot 20-12. The noise once Guatemala scored was an epic moment. The last 10 minutes were an agony as the U.S. could not hold onto the ball going forward. Clint said, if the game went on for five more minutes, the outcome could have been so different. I have to salute the gutsy Los Chapines and their Mexican coach, Luis Fernando Tena. That fan base deserves all the joy. They are a glimpse of the passion and competitive fire which can make the Gold Cup grow and grow in the future. May a first-ever World Cup qualification be their solace. 

So How Good Are We? 🤷‍♂️

It is impossible to say. The quality of our line-up is between B and C string. The opponents we are facing are, despite their admirably ferocious CONCACAF mentalities, so far from true footballing challenges, the likes of which we would meet in the knockout round of the World Cup. Right now, we are to football what Jake Paul is to boxing.  

This young squad are on a journey. What matters are the lessons they are learning along the way together. They have made the final. A Gold Cup trophy would be lovely but the optics of it are what will be important for Poch. A symbol of forward momentum and the ability to deliver a simple message to the players who did not report: “We won without you. We achieved this with a fighting culture and a willingness to struggle. This is what you now have to fit into if you want to be part of this World Cup.”

That is what Poch is attempting: An act of cultural transformation, from complacency to collective audacity. This is all that matters.

Bring on Mexico 🇺🇸🇲🇽🏆

The eighth time we dance against our arch rivals in the final (7 p.m. ET, FOX/FOX Sports). Javier Aguirre’s side outlasted a feisty Honduras 1-0 thanks to this Raúl Jiménez goal. The assist was from 16-year-old Gilberto Mora who is 459 DAYS YOUNGER than Lamine Yamal. Mexico are struggling to create in a similar way to us, but they have not allowed a goal in 383 minutes. Indeed, goalkeeper Luis Malagón has had to make only one save in the last three games. More on them here from our friends at Give N Go. One thing is sure: NRG Stadium in Houston is going to feel like the Azteca. I cannot wait. Much more on Mexico below.

Whatever happens, come and join Clint and me postgame live on YouTube and chop it up with The Deuce. 📺

I would love to hear from you all. Let me know how you think it is going to go. Email me at [email protected] 🍻

Come Watch the Club World Cup Semi-Finals with Rory Smith and Rog in Person in New York City 🏆🍻

Rory and I will be parked up for much of the week at The Michelob ULTRA Pitchside Club. Entry is free (we just ask that you RSVP) for all the events, and once inside, you'll be treated to a footballing fever dream: massive screens, cold Superior Light Beer, and a celebration of the game we love.

Here are the details:

📍 Second – 849 6th Avenue, New York, NY 10001

🎟️ RSVP (Free!): Sign up here for all three events

📺 Club World Cup Semi-Final Watchalongs with Rog and Rory

• Tues 7/8 | 3 & 5 p.m.

• Wed 7/9 | 3 & 5 p.m.

🎙️ Live Show with Rog and Special Guests

• Fri 7/10 | 6 p.m.

We want to raise a glass with all of you. The more of you we can see, the better. RSVP RIGHT HERE. 🍻

📬 Enjoying USMNT Only? Check out our other newsletters covering the USWNT and Premier League here.

The Deuce with Clint Dempsey ♠️🇺🇸 - “After 20 minutes, it looked like we were leaking oil.”

Clint Dempsey on Diego Luna’s breakout performance 🗣️

“He was on fire tonight, man, and he's shown that he's a guy that can be counted on, the way that he took that first touch off the deflection off the goalie, moving it to his left side, calm-as-you-like finish. And the way he rolled the ball to do a scissor and then just pushed it in with his right foot for the second. He was the bright spot of the game, not only the two goals, but just the way he played throughout. He was dangerous.”

“I think the key for him (Luna) is not to get too high during these big moments that he's having right now, in terms of the brace that he had tonight. He's continuing to try to build on that and to try to be more consistent in bringing a certain type of level, every game, but he's someone that's growing in front of our eyes. He's still raw, but I'm excited about seeing what will come of him and he’s just got to keep his head on straight and keep grinding and keep doing what he's been doing.”

Clint Dempsey on the U.S. struggles after grabbing the early lead 🗣️

“It was a tough watch after 20 minutes. It looked like we were leaking oil and, if the game would have gone on a little bit longer, maybe they would have got the equalizer. But hey, we talked about it: 2-0 is the most dangerous lead in the game, especially when you feel like you're playing away from home with a 90% Guatemalan crowd. Still though, the U.S. got it done.”

Clint Dempsey on what it’s like playing on home turf, but in an environment that feels like an away game 🗣️

“All you ever want to do is represent your country and play in big games, and then you wanna play in packed stadiums. And yeah, you wish it was more so the stadium was packed for you, but it's like… you got to find it, you got to fuel your fire, right? You gotta motivate yourself to, hey, let's quiet the crowd. We're in America, we got to let them know this is our home. And that's how we came out and that's how we approached it in the first 20 minutes, before we kind of let the game slip away from us. But credit to them, man – coming out, packing the stadium, making memories.”

Clint Dempsey on Pochettino potentially playing Diego Luna and Christian Pulisic together 🗣️

“The thing with Luna is, can he be more consistent? He's definitely upped his goal production in MLS and he's building into the player that he wants to be because of that confidence that he's got now of being able to score in these big moments and step up and create that energy. You want game changers and people that can create, and those two players are definitely creating, but Luna still has a way to go to get to the levels of Christian.”

Clint Dempsey on the importance of reaching the Gold Cup final 🗣️

“We needed them to get to the final and be in a position to try to turn things around as we build towards the World Cup. And gradually, it's happening, but you can see that it's starting to shift and you're starting to see some players step up– like Luna, like Tillman, like Richards–that are pushing to get into our best starting XI.”

Clint Dempsey on the three USMNT players who’ve set themselves apart at this tournament 🗣️

“Agyemang is still raw and has some work, but he had a part to play in one of the goals tonight in terms of hold-up play with Tillman, but Luna, bro, he's right there with Tillman and Chris Richards. Those are the three guys that are really knocking on the door to break into the starting lineup.”

Clint Dempsey on the Premier League team he almost joined 🗣️

“For sure, it was between Everton and Fulham – they were the ones that put in the bids. MLS accepted Fulham's because it was the most and so it was kind of out of my hands. But at the end of the day, I’m happy I got to go to Fulham and had a great time there.”

Watch the full episode to get all of Clint's thoughts on the USMNT's win against Guatemala, and make sure to follow The Deuce on TikTok and YouTube for even more Texas-infused insight. 🤠

Hello, Viejo Amigo 🇲🇽

We’ve seen this movie many times before, so it isn’t surprising that the USMNT’s pickup squad of MLS prospects, relative unknowns and the odd veteran are meeting the CONCACAF Gold Cup’s most successful-ever team, Mexico, in this year’s final. Since its 1991 inception, these two have collided seven times at this tournament’s apex, with Mexico winning five of those matches and the U.S. twice, both with just a one-goal margin. There’ve been 17 Gold Cups and the 2025 finalists hold 16 between them. 

Although El Tri boasts nine of those dubs, over recent years, the power balance between the two nations has started to level out. Mexico are 17th in FIFA’s rankings and with the USMNT a narrow place ahead in 16th, their talent pool now spills across European leagues more prominently than ever before. But unlike the U.S., Mexico’s box office names are pretty much all here and accounted for, and in their 1-0 win over Honduras in the semi-final, Fulham’s Raúl Jiménez was decisive with his finish; although he’s 34, his mission to become his country’s all-time top goalscorer is on course.

Mexico’s current formation doesn’t really allow for his deputy, AC Milan’s Santiago Giménez, to earn a regular starting place in the side, but that’s the sort of heavy-attacking artillery that this specific USMNT squad do not have in reserve. Along with the captain, West Ham’s all-action center midfielder, Edson Álvarez, and 16-year-old Gilberto Mora, who assisted Jiménez with his goal yesterday, there is a lot that Poch knows he needs to be wary of. Oh, and lest we forget, mythical 39-year-old goalkeeper, Guillermo “Memo” Ochoa, fiery as ever, albeit now as a backup on the bench, where his main-character energy still somehow permits him to receive yellow cards, despite not playing a minute of football yesterday. Listen to Ochoa’s recent conversation with Herc Gomez on VAMOS to get ready for Sunday night’s clash.

As a Reminder 📺

Rog and Clint will be linking up for another Do It Live! immediately after the final whistle of USA vs. Mexico on Sunday night (7 p.m. ET, FOX/FOX Sports). Join us and bring your questions about the result, fishing, and life, regardless of who wins.

Courage,

Rog and the USMNT Only team 🇺🇸 🦅

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As always, you can send any feedback, thoughts, or Poch-themed poems to [email protected].

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