Real Salt Lake coach Pablo Mastroeni expressed disbelief after his team's star playmaker Diego Luna and young forward Zavier Gozo were left off the US World Cup roster.
The decision was communicated via email following Friday's training.
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Luna, a key figure for the US national team throughout 2025, seemed a near-lock for the squad.
Gozo, uncapped at senior level, was a long shot but had impressed with six goals and four assists in 14 MLS matches this season.
Mastroeni, a World Cup veteran himself, struggled to understand Luna's exclusion.
"In 2025 the national team really leaned on him, both as an attacking player, but also a mentality piece," Mastroeni said.
"I just thought that in a Cup where you need a difference maker, Luna made sense."
Gozo, 19, admitted he was disappointed but motivated. "I thought I would be less disappointed than I was," he said.
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"It gave me so much more motivation to make the first team whenever that is."
The players learned their fates via email at the same time. "I got the email at the same time, so I talked to him," Gozo said of Luna.
"I honestly think he should be in the team. I was upset for him."
Mastroeni compared the situation to 2024, when Luna was a surprise cut from the Olympic roster.
The coach noted Luna's impact on and off the field, including marketing campaigns, making the snub particularly stinging.
Luna missed RSL's trip to Minnesota due to hamstring tightness but had trained fully earlier in the week.
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Both players will take extended time off before resuming practice in June.
