Bryan Reynolds was a potential candidate for the U.S. men’s Olympic team this summer, but Belgian side Westerlo rejected his departure for international duty.
Westerlo did not release Reynolds for involvement in Marko Mitrovic’s 18-player squad, sources close to the player confirmed to SBI. Due to a shortage of right backs in Westerlo’s squad for preseason, Reynolds was forced to stay for preseason camp.
The 23-year-old right back was part of every USMNT U-23 camp during Mitrovic’s reign as head coach, making six appearances and registering one assist. However, Nathan Harriel will likely serve as the starting right back for the Americans during their time in France this summer.
Reynolds, a former FC Dallas homegrown defender, recently completed his second season with Westerlo. He’s logged one goal and nine assists in 68 combined appearances for the Belgian side, teaming with fellow American, Griffin Yow.
Yow was included in the Olympic squad, which was announced on Monday.
Reynolds’ club future remains unknown after previous links with English second-tier side Hull City. Westerlo won’t stand in Reynolds way of a potential transfer this summer, should the right offer come in, sources say.
The Americans will face France, New Zealand, and Guinea in group stage play in France this summer.
Reynold’s has to be pissed at the actions of the club to release Griffin Yow, but not him, as he won’t be age eligible again after Paris to play in an Olympic Games…..sheesh
Very bizarre statement. He can’t go to the Olympics because we are short RBs but if you’re a club who wants to buy him write us a check and he’ll be there tomorrow. Apparently short cash more than RBs.
I have not kept tabs on George Bello but I’ve been surprised he hasn’t been involved with the U-23s in the run up to the Olympics. Seems like he’d be a candidate to start on the back line.
He did have a good season for his club in Austria.
He’s in sort of a weird spot. For whatever reason the US has a glut on young left backs at the moment, with Christopher Lund, John Tolkin, and Bello’s former teammate Caleb Wiley all emerging within a couple years of one another…which is not an ordinary thing, normally left backs are unicorns and the hardest position to find in soccer.
I have seen some flashes from Bello that did catch my eye as a coach. He was the most dominant player on the field against the Liga MX guys in the MLS All-Star game a few years back. The guy was just on fire that game, rampaging up and down the field and making an absolute menace of himself throughout, and what that shows you is his ceiling and it’s clearly very high. But we’ve seldom seen that guy before or since and a lot like Cade Cowell learning to play with discipline and polish is his biggest problem. So a lot like Cowell I sort of mentally have him down as a wild card…not there yet, but a guy you really can’t dismiss out of hand all together either. He definitely could still emerge.
Strangely, where we’ve struggled to find players is at right back. Which is wild considering there’s 9 right-footed guys for every leftie.