(NEXSTAR) - The U.S. Men's National Team will officially announce its 26-player roster for the 2026 World Cup on May 26. Midfielder Diego Luna is among the younger players competing for a spot as the tournament returns to North America. Head coach Mauricio Pochettino is evaluating veterans and younger prospects to form the squad that will represent the United States on home soil. Luna, a 22-year-old playing for Real Salt Lake in Major League Soccer, has emerged as a candidate following a standout 2025 season. Luna grew up in Sunnyvale, Calif., and has made 18 appearances for the national team. His standing with the coaching staff grew following a January 2025 friendly against Costa Rica, where he continued to play after breaking his nose. "It was just a crazy situation in one of the games where I broke my nose, continued to play, got an assist," Luna said. "Quite a way to make an impression on the senior U.S. national team coaching staff." The midfielder noted that his decision to stay in the game was driven by adrenaline rather than a desire to show off. "The coolest thing for me is that in that moment it was not trying to be anyone else, not trying to showcase anything," Luna said. "It was all in my head. I just wanted to play. I didn't feel pain, I didn't feel the ... it was all adrenaline." Luna later scored four goals during the Gold Cup to help the U.S. squad reach a runner-up finish. He attributed his recent success to years of persistence through various levels of the sport. "I think it's a lot of hard work, man," Luna said. "It was years in the process of getting knocked down and getting back up and the motivation to continue to push through hard times. Whether with whatever club I'm at, whatever level it is, continuing to work through things and you know, all things happen for a reason and now I'm here and it's just the beginning." Luna said playing in a World Cup in the United States is a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" that has been a long-term dream for his career. "If you're lucky enough to be able to be on this roster you know you'll be able to play in the States for a World Cup, it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and to be a part of these games is super special," said Luna. The U.S. Men's National Team will play its first match against Paraguay on June 12 in Los Angeles. The team will then face Australia in Seattle on June 19. The World Cup final is scheduled for July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by Nexstar. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by Nexstar staff before being published