Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week
Tue, 20 May 2025
Diego Luna is having his moment! On Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard, our hosts are joined by Real Salt Lake midfielder Diego Luna to talk his humble beginnings, the support he’s getting at his current MLS team, and his dreams for his future with the U.S. Men’s National Team. The guys are also talking Rivalry Week in MLS, including Landon’s LA Galaxy facing off against LAFC in El Trafico. PLUS it’s time to hold Atlanta United accountable for their poor performance so far this season, and, across the pond, Crystal Palace have finally won a major trophy. In the AT&T Mailbag, our hosts answer questions about Eddie Johnson not appearing in the 2014 World Cup, Landon’s upcoming book, and we give credit to the New England Revolution fans – sort of. New episodes of Unfiltered Soccer with Landon and Tim drop every Tuesday. Subscribe to the show on YouTube and follow on all your favorite podcast platforms. For bonus content and to send your mailbag questions in to the show, follow on all social media platforms @UnfilteredSoccer. (https://www.unfilteredsoccer.com). Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard is presented by Volkswagen. Learn more at https://bit.ly/4g8bZG3. Thank you to our additional sponsors: AT&T. Connecting Changes Everything. Visit https://att.com/guarantee to learn more. Coors Light. Choose Chill. Get Coors Light delivered. Go to CoorsLight.com/USLNT NHTSA. Click It Or Ticket. http://www.nhtsa.gov/clickit Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Chapter 1: Who is Diego Luna and why is he important in soccer?
Real Salt Lake and U.S. men's national team rising star Diego Luna. Diego, you have this dog and this nastiness about you. You've got this tenacity to want to prove yourself.
I'm the kid, you know, that didn't really come from much. For me, it was always, you know, fighting for what I wanted, you know, needing to prove myself at any level and even on the soccer side.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon and Tim, presented by Volkswagen. Volkswagen has long been a supporter of soccer in America and has proudly been a partner of U.S. Soccer for the past five years.
Yes, LD, we are back with another episode of Unfiltered Soccer. A funny old thing happened this week for our listeners. Landon and I, when we do promotional stuff and sponsored elements for Unfiltered Soccer, we will oftentimes have to travel. And so Landon so graciously comes east to New York where I am oftentimes. And every now and again, I have to go West. So.
Well, every now and again, you mean once.
So I, I, I, I trekked all the way out to San Diego, which by the way is God's country. I've heard that.
It's amazing.
And we ended up doing the, it was a very complex shoot. So we had staggered start times and they were so staggered. But I was there for three days and didn't see Landon, didn't invite me for dinner. I'll tell you a funny story, though. And you know, there's my one of my best, best friends in the world lives a couple of streets down. And I was like, do I do I ring and run?
Do I go to Landon's house? Ring the bell, and I thought, security, dogs, they'll all attack me.
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Chapter 2: What challenges did Diego Luna face growing up?
Beautiful place, huh?
Yeah.
What a place.
I see why you don't leave.
No, I can't leave. The only reason I'm leaving is to go play golf. I'm leaving today for Jamaica. It's amazing. Boys trip, golf trip. Can't wait. So let's get this thing done.
For any of our listeners, if you have the choice of coming back as anybody, come back as Landon. He's living a life that very few can. Well done. I worked hard, bud.
All right. Can we get this done so I can go? Let's roll. All right. As always, guys, follow us on social media, Unfiltered Soccer. Subscribe to the show. I just realized our subscribers are jumping lately. You must have said something funny. Fun. Interesting. Subscribe on YouTube. Make sure you follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, wherever you get your podcasts. You can leave a review, rate us.
We had some good comments. I was looking at the comments. I think JR is going to get into it. Some good stuff this week. Some great stuff. And as always, email us at feedback at unfiltered soccer. All right, Timmy, Rivalry Week. Yes, in MLS. I love this. I didn't realize it actually until I kind of like started looking through my app to see the games.
Nothing like crazy from these rivalry games, but they were good. And I love this and I love this about soccer and I love this about sports. And these weeks are the best. I just loved it. I loved when I was with San Jose, we played LA. I loved when I was with LA, we played San Jose. I loved when I was with the galaxy, we played Chivas, um, had the fortune to play in the Merseyside Derby one time.
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Chapter 3: What defines rivalry week in MLS?
But the fact of the matter is that's the evolution of soccer, right? And If you go to the gold cup and to a world cup and have another productive season and a half, the likelihood is someone's going to pay quite a lot of money to RSL and MLS for your services and they'll be well compensated. Do you think, do you think about the next steps?
Because I think you, you more than anybody deserve that from where you started to going into USL and into MLS and to the national team. Do you, do you dream about what's next and what that looks like for you?
Yeah, definitely. And, you know, like you said, first off, you don't want to say anything wrong and stuff like that. And like you said, it's just the evolution of soccer. That's how it works. That's that's the job we're in and stuff like that.
But, you know, for me, it's always been whatever club that I'm playing for at that time, you know, I'm going to give it 100 percent, you know, like that's that's bottom line. So, you know, wherever it is.
But yeah, of course I think about that and, and what could be the next move for me and when that move could be, you know, it's, it's not always, you know, my choice or stuff like that, that, you know, there could be a team and, and ourself find an agreement, you know, in the summer, it could be in two years, it could be, like you said, after the world cup, you know, who knows, but for me, you know, I have dreams, I have, you know, goals in mind to, to perform and, you know, it's, it's,
It's about providing for your family. So, of course, it's like wherever that's going to give you the best career and longevity and to be able to play and perform. And, of course, you know, a place that I can perform so I can get the opportunity to represent the national team and stuff like that.
So I think for me, it's just about continuing to do what I can do for RSL and the opportunities I get with the national team. And then, you know, from there, see where that takes me. And then wherever I land next, give it 100% and then start all over.
Of course. Yeah. And Diego, you've, look, you've proven that that is the path that certainly works for you. Right. And I would encourage you to always remember that that is the path that works for you. Right. So you went very unconventionally to El Paso, but you said, I'm going to give myself the best chance to play. Now you go to Salt Lake and I don't know, you know,
what the conversations were, where the possibilities were, but Salt Lake was a great club because it was a club that would play you.
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