American teenage sensation Gio Reyna has been making major strides at Borussia Dortmund since joining the Bundesliga club from the New York City FC academy, and Saturday marked another step in his progression.
The 17-year-old U.S. Under-17 national team star made Borussia Dortmund’s matchday squad for its Bundesliga clash with Zack Steffen, Alfredo Morales and Fortuna Dusseldorf.
? Our Starting XI against Fortuna Düsseldorf ?
? Jadon and Thorgan start from the wings
? The Big Man holds down the defense
?? Gio Reyna makes his debut in the squad#BVBF95 pic.twitter.com/qdCb4eCedp— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) December 7, 2019
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Reyna didn’t wind up making his first-team debut, but Dortmund rolled to a 5-0 victory over Fortuna Dusseldorf.
Reyna, who helped lead the USMNT U-17s to the World Cup earlier in 2019, earned a first-team place after impressing with Dortmund’s U-19 team, which earned him a chance to train with Dortmund’s first team.
A skilled winger with excellent one-on-one ability, Reyna seeks to become the latest in Dortmund’s assembly line of young talent, the same setup that helped produce Christian Pulisic.
Dortmund could see Reyna as a long-term option to replace English star Jadon Sancho, who has been the subject of transfer rumors this winter and could be on his way to the English Premier League in 2020.
The son of former USMNT captain Claudio Reyna, Reyna joined Dortmund after originally developing at NYCFC’s youth academy.
A finalist for U.S. Soccer’s Young Male player of the year for 2019, Reyna scored six goals in the Under-17 Concacaf Championships earlier in 2019 to help the Americans qualify for the Under-17 World Cup. He heads into 2020 as a prospect to watch for the USMNT.