Real Salt Lake will finish 2026 without one of its top scorers.

Midfielder Diego Luna announced on Instagram on Tuesday, Sept. 15, that a torn meniscus will end his season. The 23-year-old had five goals in 18 appearances for RSL, which plays its home matches at America First Field in Sandy.

Luna wrote that he had not been himself this season and apologized to supporters, saying he had fought "a constant battle within myself" through a difficult year, per the Salt Lake Tribune. He said a new chapter of recovery was beginning and pledged to return in 2027.

Luna injured his knee during RSL's Sept. 9 loss at the Houston Dynamo. He played 70 minutes that night, underwent an MRI later in the week and was held out of training before the Sept. 13 home loss to New York City FC. Head coach Pablo Mastroeni described the situation before that match as "a minimum of weeks to a maximum of unknown."

The diagnosis turned out to be the worst case.

Luna's absence compounds a brutal stretch for the club. RSL has not won in 11 consecutive MLS matches, a skid dating to a May 16 victory over the Colorado Rapids. The streak is the fourth longest in club history, according to Yahoo Sports.

RSL also sold young forward Zavier Gozo to Crystal Palace in August. Luna and Gozo were the team's second- and third-leading scorers behind rookie Sergi Solans, according to USA Today.

"I'd like to say 'next guy up,' but we're slowly running out of guys," Mastroeni said after the Sept. 13 NYCFC loss, per KSL Sports. That match saw Juan José Arias pull up with a right hamstring injury in the 54th minute. Defender Lukas Engel had already suffered a hamstring injury in Houston.

RSL entered the week at 8-10-5, sitting 10th in the Western Conference. That is one spot and one point outside the playoff line with 10 regular-season games left.

The club recently added reinforcements. Taylor Booth, a 25-year-old Utah native on loan from FC Twente, made his RSL debut as a substitute in the NYCFC match.

Luna, who starred for the U.S. men's national team at the 2025 Gold Cup, will also miss the September international window. USA Today reported that USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino likely cannot call on Luna again until March 2027.

"I will see the field next year," Luna wrote.

RSL hosts the Western Conference-leading Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday, Sept. 19, at America First Field. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. MT on Apple TV. Vancouver entered the week at 14-5-4.