Luca de la Torre

2.1. Childhood and education

De la Torre was born and raised in San Diego, California. His parents are both scientists, working at research institutes in the San Diego area. His father is Spanish, which granted de la Torre dual United States and Spainish nationality. This dual citizenship also allowed him to leave the U.S. at the age of 15 to pursue his football career abroad. He later learned Spanish after moving to Celta Vigo, and is now comfortable using the language for interviews and communication with teammates.

2.2. Youth club career

De la Torre began playing soccer at local clubs in San Diego, starting with Nomads and then moving to San Diego Surf. In 2013, he made the move to England to join the youth academy of Fulham, where he further developed his skills before making his senior team debut.

3.1. Fulham

De la Torre made his professional debut for Fulham on August 9, 2016, starting and playing 88 minutes in an EFL Cup first round match against Leyton Orient at Brisbane Road, which Fulham won 3-2. His first Championship league appearance came on October 28, 2017, as a last-minute substitute for Tomáš Kalas in a 1-1 home draw against Bolton Wanderers. He scored his only goal for Fulham in an EFL Cup tie against Millwall on September 25, 2018.

3.2. Heracles Almelo

On August 6, 2020, de la Torre signed a two-year contract with Eredivisie side Heracles Almelo. He provided an assist in his Eredivisie debut on September 13, 2020, contributing to a 2-0 victory over ADO Den Haag. His performance earned him a spot on the Eredivisie Team of the Month for March 2021, a month in which he scored his first goal for the club on March 7, netting a late winner in a 2-1 home victory against PEC Zwolle. He was again named to the Eredivisie Team of the Month for January 2022.

3.3. Celta de Vigo

On July 7, 2022, de la Torre transferred to Celta de Vigo in La Liga, signing a four-year deal. He became the second American player to join the club, following Giuseppe Rossi. His debut for Celta came on August 20 in a 4-1 home loss to Real Madrid, where he played the final three minutes as a substitute for Renato Tapia. Initially making only brief substitute appearances under manager Eduardo Coudet, de la Torre saw a significantly larger role in the team after Carlos Carvalhal took over. On December 22, he scored his first goal for the club, coming off the bench away to Gernika in the second round of the Copa del Rey to secure a 3-0 victory within ten minutes of his introduction. He earned his first start for Celta on January 3, 2023, in the next round of the Copa del Rey, though the team lost 3-1 in extra time against fellow top-flight team Espanyol. De la Torre scored his first La Liga goal, after providing an assist one minute earlier, against Osasuna on February 4, 2024.

3.4. San Diego FC

On January 21, 2025, de la Torre signed with San Diego FC through the 2025 MLS season. This move is a loan from Celta de Vigo, with an option for San Diego FC to purchase his contract.

4.1. Youth national team

De la Torre was a prominent member of the United States under-17 team, participating in both the 2015 CONCACAF U-17 Championship and the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup. He continued his progression with the United States under-20 team, which won the 2017 CONCACAF U-20 Championship. During this tournament, he scored the game-winning goal in a 4-1 group stage victory against Haiti and successfully converted a penalty kick during the shootout in the final against Honduras. De la Torre also represented the United States at the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup, where the team reached the quarterfinals. In the group stage, he scored a goal in a 3-3 draw against Ecuador and provided assists for Josh Sargent's game-winner against Senegal and Lagos Kunga's goal in a dominant 6-0 Round of 16 win over New Zealand.

4.2. Senior national team

De la Torre made his senior debut for the United States on June 2, 2018, as a substitute in a friendly match against the Republic of Ireland. His first start for the national team came on February 2, 2022, in a World Cup Qualifying match against Honduras, which the U.S. won 3-0. Despite suffering a muscular injury in October 2022, de la Torre recovered in time to be selected for the World Cup in Qatar the following month. Although the United States reached the last 16, he did not make an appearance in any of the tournament matches. De la Torre scored his first goal for the senior squad in a 1-2 friendly loss to Canada on September 7, 2024.

6.1. Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

6.2. International

Appearances and goals by national team and year

United States score listed first, score column indicates score after each de la Torre goal.