Even with a broken nose, Luna able to help lift the USMNT to an early lead as Americans cruise to 3-0 win

ORLANDO – By the time he was taken out at halftime, Diego Luna's face looked like it had survived 15 rounds in the ring, not 45 minutes on the field. Face bloodied, nose plugged with cotton in both nostrils, and a clear wince on his face, Luna looked like he'd gone to battle. He had to change shirts at one point while wiping away the blood. On this night, Luna showed that he was ready to both perform and persevere.

It wasn't his physicality, though, that got him to the U.S. men's national team; it was his finesse. That, too, was easy to spot on Wednesday on a cold night in Florida. For all of the attention paid to Real Salt Lake rising star's bloodied face, it was his feet that did the talking – again.

Luna's through ball to Brian White in the 21st minute, just moments after taking an elbow to the face, sparked the USMNT to their opening goal in an eventual 3-0 win over Costa Rica. That assist came just moments after Luna had to be helped into a new shirt by none other than Mauricio Pochettino – the coach later confirmed that Luna had broken his nose.

"I was very surprised he broke his nose, but I didn't want to say anything because he was bleeding," Pochettino told TNT after the match. "Not have too much drama, you know. I don't want to scare them. I said 'How do you feel?' and he said 'Please coach, let me keep playing, at least until halftime, and then I'll go out. Doctor, give me the OK.' Then an assist and we scored."

Added Pochettino with a laugh, "I said 'big balls.’ He showed great character."

The USMNT boss must have been impressed when Luna cut the ball past several defenders to play in White, who made no mistake with the finish. It was a good goal from White, but the setup was all Luna, who had a standout performance.

He wasn't the only one, though. White, of course, did well for himself to score his first international goal. It's a moment he'll never forget, no doubt. He's scored plenty in MLS over the last few seasons, but this one will no doubt feel special. Caden Clark joined him, too, scoring a stunner to net his first international goal in the second half. Patrick Agyemang made it two goals in as many games with a stunning goal off the bench, capping the three-score night for the Americans.

On the other side of the field, veteran goalkeeper Zack Steffen did everything he possibly could to preserve the clean sheet. The Colorado Rapids star made several big saves throughout, making something of a statement in a game in which he no doubt felt the pressure to perform.

Overall, following up the 3-1 win over Venezuela last Saturday, this was successful manner in which to close the January camp, especially with an MLS-heavy roster. On an individual and team level, this went as expected, and there will be numerous players leaving Florida feeling good about their runs in a USMNT shirt.

"The message from day one – and I think they listened – I told them from the very beginning they need to take these two games very seriously because if they perform, they will have the possibility to join us in the future," Pochettino said. "In the way they behaved, their attitude and performance, today we are very happy. You can bring different players and play in Europe, but these type of performances like today make us very positive for the future."

GOAL rates the USMNT player from Inter&Co Stadium.

Getty Images SportGoalkeeper & Defense

Zack Steffen (9/10):

Did a whole lot of claiming crosses before an absolutely absurd save in the 37th minute. He followed that up with another fantastic one early in the second half, too, as he finished with three saves. This was exactly the type of performance he needed to get right back into the goalkeeping race.

DeJuan Jones (8/10):

Pretty tidy on that left-hand side. Was given the freedom to get forward and he often took it, completing plenty of passes in Costa Rica's half of the field. Got his assist on Agyemang's goal late but, even before that, he was playing well.

Tim Ream (7/10):

Steady as always. You knew with him and Zimmerman back there the USMNT would probably be fine.

Walker Zimmerman (7/10):

Same as above. This was the first time those two played together since the 2022 World Cup. It looked like they hadn't missed a beat.

Miles Robinson (7/10):

Named as a pseudo-right-back, but was more of a third central defender. Got hit with a pretty frustrating yellow card, but was strong otherwise with his best moment coming on a sequence where his pace allowed him to shut down a Costa Rica chance.

AdvertisementGettyMidfield

Emeka Eneli (6/10):

Looked a bit nervous at times in his previous appearance, but definitely not Wednesday night. Was extremely clean on the ball, completing nearly all of his passes, while doing some good work defensively. Then, to put a cherry on top, he provided the assist, too. A memorable night for the RSL midfielder.

Benjamin Cremaschi (6/10):

For the second time in as many games, the Inter Miami youngster did well in midfield. Wasn't flashy or overly dynamic, but he worked hard and did the difficult parts very well.

Diego Luna (8/10):

If you wanted to know what Luna is all about, this was it. Nose bloodied and broken, Luna played the pass of the night, opening up the defense on White's goal. That's the trademark creativity, and that creativity could keep him involved going forward.

AFPAttack

Brian Gutierrez (6/10):

It was easy to see bits and pieces in his game, headlined by one sequence where he nearly went full Messi in the box. it never quite came together, but Gutierrez definitely had moments where he was able to show what he was about.

Brian White (8/10):

Got his goal with a very tidy finish. Had a few other good looks, too, as he seemed to be in dangerous places throughout his entire time on the field.

Indiana Vassilev (6/10):

Was asked to play a tough role on that right-hand side, but he was decent enough. Did well with the defensive asks of him and was able to make a few good things happen despite the lack of fullback help on his side.

Getty Images SportSubs & Manager

Caden Clark (8/10):

An absolutely fantastic finish to put the game away. Clark has been on the radar for some time, but is still just 21, and this was a good sign of what he can do.

Jack McGlynn (6/10):

Definitely a step down from his Venezuela performance, but there wasn't much room to go up. Just wasn't quite as effective in his 45-minute runout.

Matko Miljevic (6/10):

Certainly brought a little bit of energy and life to the game, but was often hacked down for his efforts as he drew foul after foul.

Shaq Moore (6/10):

Brought in to put a conventional fullback on that right-hand side. Nothing flashy, but held his own defensively as you would expect from a veteran.

Max Arfsten (6/10):

Came on a bit later in the second half but didn't get to do too much.

Patrick Agyemang (9/10):

Was hunting for that second international goal and he surely went out and got it. A stunning goal from the Charlotte FC striker, who made it two in two in a USMNT shirt.

Mauricio Pochettino (8/10):

Every single outfield player started a game this camp, and plenty gave him something to feel excited about. That's what January camp is about, isn't it?