In idle moments to himself, there are times when Diego Luna will look up his “old” highlights.

The images of his time with El Paso Locomotive FC still bring a smile to his face.

“It really brings good memories,” said Luna recently. “It really brings a good time where I get to remember where I came from, how I started, and the things that I that I did to produce where I’m at.”

Where Luna is now is the precipice of stardom.

A 2021 USL Championship All-League selection and Young Player of the Year finalist with Locomotive FC, the 20-year-old has taken the game that made him an emerging star – and garnered a high-profile transfer to Real Salt Lake midway through the 2022 campaign – and brought it to another level.

Those qualities first shone through in El Paso, where Luna recorded 11 goals and five assists in his first professional season while helping lead Locomotive FC to the best campaign in its history. The support and mentorship he received from club staff and teammates is still something he looks back at appreciatively, as well as the support he received from a fan-base that embraced him from the moment he stepped foot on the field.

Since his transfer, the player affectionately dubbed Moon Boy has returned to El Paso regularly. He was a guest at Locomotive FC’s watch parties for the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup and considers the city a home away from home.

“I couldn't have asked for a better start to my career,” said Luna. “From the staff, from the teammates that I had, and from the fans and the environment that it brought to me, how they took me in as one of their own and made me feel at home, it really did become a second home for me.

“I've lived all over, but I come back, and I feel welcomed. It’s somewhere where I feel like I belong.”

Luna’s pathway is one that’s becoming a more common occurrence for talented young players aiming to make a name for themselves in the professional ranks. From fellow Barca Residency Academy graduate Korede Osundina – who turned pro with Orange County SC before his transfer to Feyenoord last year – to others like Jonathan Gomez and Joshua Wynder, both of whom were teammates at the FIFA U-20 World Cup last year, the USL Championship is providing a platform for young players to push forward their careers at a rapid rate.

Luna is sometimes reminded by his family how far he’s come in a short span. Now he’s going to be joined at Real Salt Lake this season by another player who took a similar path to his. RSL’s acquisition of 2023 Championship Young Player of the Year Fidel Barajas via transfer from the Charleston Battery was another notable move this offseason, and another illustration of the pathway that is emerging from the Championship to top-flight soccer.

“Everyone has their own path,” said Luna. “[We] kind of took a path that was a risk, but at the same time, it was something challenging where we took challenges one step at a time. Once we knew that it was time for something new, to challenge ourselves even more, we took that leap. I think that’s something that that should be recognized by players at such a young age and their mindsets.”

It’s an important moment for Luna, who will be making a case not just for more call-ups in the future, but a place in the squad for this summer’s Men’s Olympic Soccer Tournament.

“We all have goals and that’s one on my list that’s coming up soon,” said Luna of being part of the Olympic squad. “Performing every chance that I get – whether that be with the U-23s, with the men’s national team, at my club – I think everything matters now. It’s all leading to those events, and those are the things we play for us. That’s something that’s exciting and definitely on my radar.”

Having found the net when he first visited San Antonio in 2021 – part of a 2-1 victory that helped Locomotive FC claim that season’s Copa Tejas – Luna is hoping his return to the Alamo City offers a storybook start to his USMNT career.

“That’s something that’s exciting,” he said. “To hopefully have that be another day like that – where I can potentially make my debut and potentially even score with the crest – I think that’s a dream.”