Giovanni Reyna’s strong run during Borussia Dortmund preseason continued on Saturday with another goalscoring performance.
Reyna scored the opening goal for Lucien Favre’s side on Saturday in a 5-1 friendly win over Duisburg. It was the third straight appearance for Reyna with a goal to his name, playing 90 minutes against the 3. Liga side.
The 17-year-old needed only 12 minutes to break the deadlock after great service from Thorgan Hazard. Reyna rifled home with a left-footed finish down the middle of the goal.
The Hazard – Reyna linkup ?? pic.twitter.com/yyY4aZqxuP
— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) August 23, 2020
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Hazard, Jadon Sancho, and Ansgar Knauff all got on the scoresheet for Dortmund, whom ran away with the lopsided friendly win. As for Reyna, it continued a busy preseason which has seen him play in every game so far.
Reyna also scored in friendly wins over Austrian sides Rheindorf Altach and Austria Wien. His preseason camp will continue in Austria before split-squad friendlies take place on Aug. 28th against Paderborn and Bochum respectively.
Dortmund’s domestic season gets underway on Sept. 14th in the German DFB Pokal against Duisburg before opening the 2020-21′ Bundesliga campaign against Borussia Monchengladbach on Sept. 19th.
Reyna made 18 combined first team appearances for Dortmund last season, scoring one goal in German Cup play and assisting once in UEFA Champions League action.
Not to be picky, but it should be “who ran away …” not “whom ran away’…”
i’d be looking more at what unit was he on the field with. if he’s out there with the “A” starters before subs, and scores, that bodes well. if he’s coming in with the “B” or “C” units that means something else. who you score it on matters more as a club signal than a player signal. if dortmund romps a friendly with a nobody team then there are no warning signs. if they have to win with the subs that says something else.
While BvB haven’t been challenged during the preseason, it’s still good to see that Reyna is making the most of his opportunities by getting goals & assists. He still may not be a full-time starter for BvB once the season opens….unless Sancho is sold…but he should still see plenty of minutes this season off the bench and as a rotational starter.
If he’s a rotational starter for BvB than he should be in the starting XI for the USMNT A-Team …regardless of his age.
Berhalter last month on Reyna “Our job is to help with that growth. Does that mean getting him an opportunity, an early opportunity, to play in difficult games? That’s going to make him better, make him rise to an even higher level.”
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Sounds like 3G understands the situation.
I fully expect Reyna to get called in….I’m not so sure that Greg will have him in the starting XI. I guess we’ll see once international games resume and the A-Team is called.
If there’s a Euro based friendly in November he’ll start and then he’s got two more chances in NL in March. If he’s playing at the level he was at in May, he’ll be starting. Remember Berhalter started Dest with less club appearances than Reyna now has.
It seems we still regard things like “easing teenagers into the game to preserve their physical longevity” to be some kind of bogus or imaginary concept….. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the idea that we can endlessly accelerate these still-developing teenagers is very naive and totally contrary to our history. There is a reason why their clubs ease them into competition these days, and it’s not down to a lack of ability. I don’t see why we should be spinning their odometers faster than the clubs who own them and know them best.
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Don’t believe me? Let’s have a look at our youth players who – like Reyna – were raised in the US, and moved to Europe before the age of 19. It is a small list, but it’s also literal boneyard of injury-prone players. Historically, it’s guys like John O’Brien, John Thorrington, Jozy Altidore, and Joe Gyau. More recently, the list includes guys like Christian Pulisic, Nick Taitague, and Tim Weah. Weston seems to be doing ok. For now. Not a great hit rate, is it?
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The injury risk to these kids is real. Pretty much every teenager we have sent to Europe has developed career-changing injury considerations. Why be surprised? These kids grew up in American schools, not European or South American youth soccer academies. When they move abroad to become senior professionals, their bodies are not as prepared as those of the kids who grew up in South America and Europe.
p in soccer academies from the age of 9.
You forgot Landon to the list but yes not great historical results.
Weah spent four years in PSG Academy and still got hurt. There’s correlation but I’m not sure you can prove causation. John Brooks came up through Europe and has had consistent injuries, Danny Williams as well.
Indeed to prove causation would be very difficult— impossible with the data we have. Still, what data exists should be cause for consideration, if not concern. Most all of our “success stories” as far as sustained careers in Europe involve guys who went abroad with either some collegiate or MLS experience, having more fully completed their physical maturation. Seems naive not to consider the possibility given our case history
There is a risk to teenagers playing against grown men whether they play in Europe, South America or MLS. American College soccer often has 18 year-olds playing against 23 year-olds with the same predictable results. In some ways college soccer is worse in that it allows for multiple substitutions that makes punishingly physical defensive tactics rewarding.
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There is a tension between playing at the highest level to improve as quickly as possible and avoiding play against bigger stronger opponents where intimidation and injury are real concerns. It is played out all the time on youth soccer teams with much less attention, except by the parties involved.