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USMNT’s Three Best Players of the Week: Luna’s Standout Skills, Aaronson's Assists

MLS standouts stole the show among USMNT stars this weekend as the World Cup roster deadline approaches.
Ben Steiner|
Diego Luna (left) and Brenden Aaronson (right) had standout weeks for their clubs.
Diego Luna (left) and Brenden Aaronson (right) had standout weeks for their clubs. | Meagan Johnson/Real Salt Lake/MLS/Getty Images, Mitchell Leff/USSF/Getty Images, Shaun Brooks/CameraSport/Getty Images

The 2026 World Cup roster deadline is quickly approaching for manager Mauricio Pochettino and his U.S. men’s national team staff. With some of the contenders’ recent performances, his decision won’t come easy. 

The latest week of club action saw U.S. players find their top form in the Premier League, with Brenden Aaronson posting a pair of assists in two games this week and Tyler Adams hitting his stride with Bournemouth following a tedious injury recovery. In MLS, Diego Luna and Cristian Roldan each had multiple goal contributions, while the likes of Sebastian Berhalter, Zavier Gozo and other potential World Cup roster inclusions also had standout showings. 

Although he doesn’t crack our top three stars of the week, U.S. striker Folarin Balogun is approaching history in France after scoring a penalty in Monaco’s 2–2 draw with Auxerre, bringing him to eight goals in his last eight Ligue 1 matches. Should he score in nine straight, he would become just the third player to do so, matching Vahid Halilhodžić in 1984–85 and Zlatan Ibrahimović in 2015–16. 

With the exciting week in the books, Sports Illustrated takes a look at the top USMNT stars from the last week.

Diego Luna

Diego Luna
Diego Luna is back at his best with Real Salt Lake. | Chris Gardner/Getty Images

Diego Luna’s second start back from injury saw him put in one of his best performances for Real Salt Lake, netting a goal and two assists in the first half while providing an electrifying presence in attack throughout 70 minutes. 

While injury kept him out of the March USMNT camp, his showing against San Diego showcased some of the qualities that make him unique within the U.S. player pool and why he could work his way into the World Cup roster. 

First, he got the night started with an advantageous opportunity, pressing high on San Diego’s goal kick and catching goalkeeper Duran Ferree off-guard, before barreling the ball into the goal. While it marked a significant highlight and his opportunistic edge, it was far from his best moment.

Those moments came in tight spaces, where he drew defenders in before sparking a quick pass out to a wide player. Earlier on, in the sixth minute, he also delivered a perfect cross, after taking advantage of San Diego’s defensive tilt towards his opposite side—positioning himself in a perfect spot for a switching pass, before sending in the cross to Sergi Solans. 

While the previous delivery stood out as one of the key things Luna can offer from a skillset point of view, his ability to read quick transitions from an unselfish lens was also evident.

Below, we can see that Luna anticipates a large touch from the San Diego defender’s attempt to settle the ball, but does not dive in himself. Instead, he sees Solans already up to speed with forward momentum, allowing his teammate to get there first, before quickly taking a pass, delaying for Solans’ run through and playing a perfectly weighted ball through the center backs. 

Diego Luna, Real Salt Lake
Diego Luna (black circle) and Sergi Solans (white circle) embraced vision and momentum to create a chance in the first half against San Diego FC. | MLS/Apple TV

With 56 touches through 70 minutes with a goal, assist and several other creative moments, this match was a perfect example of what Luna can offer for the USMNT and the type of characteristics that can completely trick a team’s defensive approach when used as a late-game substitute, as he likely would be if he cracks the World Cup roster. 

Brenden Aaronson

Brenden Aaronson
Brenden Aaronson had a two-assist week for Leeds United. | Shaun Brooks/CameraSport via Getty Images

It was a memorable week for Brenden Aaronson, as he mustered two vital assists in wins against Manchester United and Wolverhampton Wanderers, helping Leeds United creep closer to Premier League safety with five matches remaining in the season. 

Linking up twice with Swiss forward Noah Okafor over the two matches, his weekend assist showcased a standout interception with an aggressive approach, before darting up the right side and exploiting space on a near half-field sprint, before a low, curling cross inside to create the goalscoring chance. 

While Aaronson hasn’t found the back of the net for Leeds since January, his uptick in form comes at a vital time as Pochettino’s selection deadline for the World Cup approaches. Given his talents and the competition he has faced in the Premier League, he could be a key player for the USMNT, but he has yet to carve out a key role within this era of the Stars and Stripes.

The next week is a big one for him and Leeds as well, facing fellow USMNT midfielder Tyler Adams and AFC Bournemouth midweek, before looking ahead to a highly anticipated FA Cup semifinal against Chelsea at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.

Cristian Roldan

Imagine this — Cristian Roldan standing at the back post, finishing corner kicks at the World Cup. This weekend, the Seattle Sounders midfielder showed some of the qualities he could bring this summer, beyond his simple experience and leadership abilities, as he scored two nearly identical goals in a 4–1 win against St. Louis CITY SC. 

While the tactical mishap from St. Louis made it look easy, Roldan’s sharpness in finishing the same chance twice is admirable, and it was far from the only contribution he made in a dominant performance by the Rave Green. 

Outside of the two goals, he linked up with Albert Rusnák in quick midfield buildups and found streaking right midfielder Snyder Brunell several times up the right side, providing overloads against St. Louis CITY’s fullbacks. At the same time, he also made 10 defensive contributions, which allowed his midfield pivot partner, Hassani Dotson, more ability to roam into attacking spaces, providing an extra option for Rusnák’s buildups. 

The 30-year-old MLS veteran will be hoping those key moments stood out to Pochettino and his staff, with the Sounders legend looking to play for the USMNT at his home stadium of Lumen Field against Australia in Group D action.   

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Ben Steiner
BEN STEINER

Ben Steiner is an American-Canadian journalist who brings in-depth experience, having covered the North American national teams, MLS, CPL, NWSL, NSL and Liga MX for prominent outlets, including MLSsoccer.com, CBC Sports, and OneSoccer.

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