One of American soccer’s brightest prospects is training with NYCFC’s first team.
15-year-old midfielder Giovanni Reyna, son of former U.S. Men’s National Team midfielder and current NYCFC Sporting Director Claudio Reyna, has joined the NYCFC first team for preseason in Jacksonville. The NYCFC academy product is widely regarded as one of the top young midfielders in the U.S. pool.
Also among the 31-player roster are fellow academy players Joe Scally, Tyler Shaver, Justin Haak and Dante Polvara.
Reyna, who signed an endorsement contract with Adidas at just 14, has been linked with a move to Europe. Reyna has a Portuguese passport through his grandmother, making it possible for him to move to Europe before turning 18.
“I’m a dad first, and I will support whatever he wants to do,” Claudio Reyna told Goal in 2017. “The thing about a player at 14, 15, 16 is they’re going to make their own decision. They’re going to take everything in and see. It all depends. It’s case by case. It’s certainly, for me, one that’s difficult of course, being sporting director of a club here. But he knows around him all the time I’m his dad first. I’m there to support him, to teach him. Not to tell him he’s great, but that he’s got a long way to go, he’s got to continue to work and develop good habits and to continue to guide him.
“What I would say is the decision, ultimately, is going to be him, and he’s going to get a feeling that ‘this is what I want, this is what I want for my future’,” he added. “So when he gets there, I’m going to support him 100 percent.”
NYCFC is set to face Jacksonville University, LAFC, LA Galaxy, Atletico de San Luis, Real Salt Lake and Montreal Impact for preseason matches over the course of the next six weeks.
I don’t really think this is that big a deal. Pretty sure the Red Bulls have Academy kids train with the first team all the time.
I’m not taking anything away from the kid, though. I saw a little of him with the U15 national team and he was one of the better players on the team.
the kid is a stud
the kid has some mighty big shoes to fill, but man this is exciting news, isn’t it?
I would think with his dads first hand experience and Man City basically owning the team if he decided to stay state side this would be the academy to start in. I know it’s a young academy but probably one of the better ones in the near future.
Is he actually a good prospect or this just US Soccer nepotism at it again?
Sir Jogsalot II. Hope not, hope he has skills like his daddy did.
I saw him in the recent concacaf U-15 tournament and he looks like a real prospect. I saw his father at an Olympic qualifier when he was 17 and the son looks every bit as good at 2 years younger.