Everton has long been connected with players from the United States, starting with Preki in the early 1990s, Joe-Max Moore and Brian McBride in the early 2000s, and, perhaps most famously, Landon Donovan and Tim Howard in more recent years.
But since Howard left in 2015, the American wing of Everton, at least in terms of players, has dried up, save for Antonee Robinson, who rose no further than the Toffees' Premier League 2 squad before making his name at Fulham a few years later.
Which isn't to say that Everton should be searching for the next American player to continue to link the club to the States, even as the club's attention across the pond has risen in recent years, especially with new American ownership in the Friedkin Group.
One player who could be on Everton's radar is attacking midfielder Diego Luna, who has been a key part of Real Salt Lake's attack over the last three seasons since starring for El Paso Locomotive in the USL Championship as a 17-year-old.
Luna, who will be 22 in September, has been capped for the United States, making his debut under Gregg Berhalter on January 20, 2024, in a friendly against Slovenia. He has yet to score for the USMNT, although he has two assists.
The American isn't a big guy (just 5'8" and 187 lbs), but he is a very effective passer and efficient goal scorer. He has regularly outperformed his xG while with Real Salt Lake and has already matched his career high of 8 goals in only 16 matches so far this season on fewer shots per-90 than when he reached the same total in 31 MLS matches last year.
If he were to join Everton, he could slide in as depth as a central attacking midfielder next to Charly Alcaraz and Iliman Ndiaye, but would join tha,t duo in terms of the versatility to play out wide on either wing if called upon. That would allow Luna to get up to speed in a new league and a new country, without the pressure to perform right away.
Whether Real Salt Lake want to part with him is unknown, but with a potential market value in the neighborhood of €8 million (just over $9 million), it might be an opportunity the MLS club couldn't turn down if Everton came calling.
There are no rumors surrounding this move or anything to indicate that Everton are even interested in the player, but if they were, Luna is the type of player that Evertonians of all nationalities could get behind.