October marks the first time in 10 months that Gregg Berhalter and Gio Reyna were both involved in a U.S. men’s national team camp and although plenty of attention will revolve around their relationship, the Borussia Dortmund attacker admitted it’s been back to business.
Reyna is back in his first USMNT camp since suffering a calf injury last June, an injury that sidelined him for most of Dortmund’s domestic and European schedule so far. The 20-year-old recently made his season debut in Dortmund’s 4-2 league victory over Union Berlin, logging 26 minutes off the bench for Edin Terzic’s squad.
After earning his first competitive minutes in over four months, Reyna is focused on continuing his role with the USMNT and doing everything he can to help the program.
“It’s completely normal,” Reyna said on Tim Ream’s “The American Dream” podcast about his USMNT return. “Nothing has really changed. I’ve been in before and I’m still here now. So it’s just two good games now and we want to be successful as a team. It’s pretty simple, that’s really it. It’s not more than that.”
“Gio’s done a great job this week in training,” Berhalter said Friday during his pre-match press conference. “He looks really sharp, really strong. You can see his quality. And for us, it’s about, how do we build him up same way we have other players in the squad and get the most out of him for him to help the team the most, and for him to return to Dortmund in really good shape?”
The USMNT faces off against Germany and Ghana this month in a pair of home friendlies, a tougher set of opponents than September’s pair of matches against Uzbekistan and Oman. With no qualifying schedule coming up for the Americans due to their co-hosting of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Berhalter and his players will need to make the most of every opportunity as preparation for the tournament.
Reyna has already featured in two Nations League tournaments during his USMNT career and knows the importance of every competition here on out ahead of 2026.
“I think everyone feels the same way,” Reyna said. “We want to build toward a bright future in the upcoming important tournaments with the Copa América and the World Cup coming up. So that’s really it. Everyone has a common goal to work together and be successful.”
Reyna’s versatility could see him used in a number of different roles going forward with the USMNT. Whether it’s at the No. 10 role or on the wing, Reyna’s creativity and attacking prowess makes him one of the more-deadlier weapons in Berhalter’s squad.
Berhalter will have plenty of ideas on how to reincorporate Reyna into his formation this window, but Reyna even hinted at where he thinks he could be most impactful for the USMNT long-term.
“If it was my ideal scenario, or game, it would probably be with two No. 6s and I’d be kind of a free-roaming No. 10,” Reyna said. “I think that’s where I’d find the space to create and score goals and get assists. So that’s kind of where I can be successful.”