MLS season opener pits Messi against Salt Lake's 'Moon Boy'
Major League Soccer kicks off its 2024 season Wednesday afternoon with a headlining game: Inter Miami vs. Real Salt Lake in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It's the professional debut of Miami's "Fab Four" (Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets) and all eyes will rightfully be on the ex-Barcelona quartet.
But this contest isn't a foregone conclusion. Miami faces a true test in its season-opener and one that highlights two very different approaches to MLS team-building. On one side, Messi and Suarez, known the world over, both well into their late 30s. On the other, Diego Luna, Salt Lake's largely unknown young powerhouse.
Luna, known affectionately as "Moon Boy" by his Salt Lake teammates, has already lived several lives in MLS at the ripe old age of 20. He joined the league at age 12 as part of San Jose's youth setup and made his league debut at 18.
"He's an incredibly mature kid, period," Salt Lake general manager Elliot Fall said. "I'll never forget when he came into the locker room. He walked around, introduced himself to everybody, and immediately earned the trust of a veteran group."
Luna plays as a rangy creative midfielder, but his stocky stature and impressive physicality help him code-switch into other roles on the field.
"Going back to last year, he was really understanding that there's a job to do on both sides of the ball," coach Pablo Mastroeni explained. "It took some time for him to kind of buy into that. And towards the end of the season, he wasn't only our most productive attacker, but he was also our best defender on the field."
In a league in which many teams, including Miami, rely on international superstars to survive, Mastroeni took the opposite approach and invested in young American talent like Luna. It's a bet that has paid off handsomely. Salt Lake finished fifth in the Western Conference last season and made the playoffs with ease.
The 2024 MLS season looks set to become a fascinating battle between galactico teams like Miami and clever spenders like Salt Lake. While there are merits to both systems, it's the latter that enhances the American soccer pyramid and enriches our game in the long run – and Luna, as a U. S. Men's National Team candidate, is proof.
Luna knows that the 2024 MLS season could change his career for the better, but he isn't just hungry for wins. He's hungry for responsibility.
"There's a lot of things and a lot of goals this year," Luna said. "To make the Olympics, as a national team goal. To make call-ups for the Gold Cup, Copa América, stuff like that. And then to produce here for Real Salt Lake and be that main guy we can rely on when things get tough."
Luna will get that opportunity when he lines up against Messi in MLS's season opener. It's likely to be the toughest challenge of his season – and once he's through it, there's no telling how high Moon Boy can rise.
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