Borussia Dortmund manager Edin Terzic has mainly used American attacker Gio Reyna off the bench throughout the 2022-23 season, but even in a limited role at times, the 20-year-old has continued to deliver for the Bundesliga title chasers.
Reyna scored his seventh league goal of the season on Saturday in Dortmund’s 5-2 league win over Borussia Moenchengladbach, staying on pace with Bayern Munich with two matches to play. The U.S. men’s national team midfielder/winger has started only seven of his 28 combined appearances this season, logging just 59 minutes of action since the March international window.
However, Reyna has had an eye for goal in his third season with Borussia Dortmund, tying a career-high for combined goals in a single campaign, while also making an instant impact in several matches this season. Although Terzic has ample attacking players in his squad including Sebastien Haller, Anthony Modeste, Karim Adeyemi, Donyell Malen, and Youssoufa Moukoko, Reyna’s impact has forced the German manager to reconsider his options at times in 2023.
“Gio in particular is not making it easy for me to always only be bringing him on,” Terzic said in a club interview. “He pushes the others every day. We want to have that performance mindset in the team. Karim [Adeyemi] and Donny [Malen] know that they need to keep stepping on the gas.”
Reyna has two final opportunities with Borussia Dortmund this season, with the Bundesliga title still up for grabs for both them and Bayern Munich. Dortmund faces off with Augsburg and Mainz in its final matches before Reyna will embark on a busy summer, which could include USMNT duty in the Concacaf Nations League Final Four.
Whether or not Reyna starts in Dortmund’s final two matches remains to be seen, but his impact regardless has been crucial for his development and his long-term plans with the club.