Gio Reyna entered October’s U.S. men’s national team window needing a confidence boost and after a Man of the Match showing against Ghana on Tuesday night, the 20-year-old will be flying high as he returns to Borussia Dortmund.
Reyna made his second-consecutive start on Tuesday, registering his first international brace in the USMNT’s 4-0 friendly victory over Ghana at Geodis Park. It marked the first international goalscoring performance for Reyna in over 28 months, snapping his goal-less drought and helping Gregg Berhalter’s squad rebound in a big way on home soil.
After missing Borussia Dortmund’s opening nine matches of the season, Reyna made his season debut on Oct. 7 prior to the international break. Now with 90 minutes under his belt and two USMNT goals, the attacking midfielder will be eager to carry that form over into Dortmund’s next seven matches before the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals.
“Gio got two goals and, besides the goals, it was how he brings players into the attack, how he is able to be calm on the ball,” Berhalter said postmatch about Reyna. “He gives us that calm and that poise that we need at times, but then is decisive when making final passes.”
Reyna’s pair of goals in a 29-minute span helped kickstart and pad a USMNT advantage in Nashville on Tuesday night. He opened the scoring with a clinical volley in the Ghana box after 10 minutes before rifling a right-footed indirect free kick into the roof of the net just six minutes before halftime.
Although Reyna was substituted at halftime, he took a major step forward confidence-wise after a quiet showing against Germany on Saturday. Injuries have plagued Reyna’s club and international career to date, but Tuesday’s performance provided another glimpse of his long-term potential.
Reyna’s presence remains key for the USMNT going forward and Borussia Dortmund manager Edin Terzic will certainly be pleased with what he saw this past window.
I watch a lot of Dortmund. It’s hard to see where Gio will get time. At the ten (when Terzic uses one) there’s Reus, Adeyemi seems to be the back up there when offense is needed. Gio will have to take that from him if he wants to play the ten. Then at the right forward position there’s Malen and Brandt (they can both play either left or right and have even been played in the midfield). Good luck displacing them. Terzic has been lining up in a lot of different formations so maybe there’s more room in the midfield but he will have to beat out Sabitzer at minimum – which I think he can do.
Best case scenario is Terzic was watching these last two games, sees the form Gio is in and finds him more than garbage minutes. It appears if that happens Gio will force even more playing time. But there is stiff competition….
That’s good info if not the greatest news…sounds like he may have to get by on scraps until the January window then. I keep hearing Dortmund is shopping him and you hear the usual stuff about “team X is interested” and maybe they are…but it does seem like maybe one in eight or ten of those actually happen. Still, if he’s not playing and isn’t really in Terzic’s plans, why keep him? He’s got some buzz around him again, January would definitely be the window to cash in.
Might not be the worst thing ever. Gio could probably use a lighter workload until he truly heals up…which I would think would give him the best chance of actually staying healthy for a stretch. Sports medicine guys always say nothing sets you up for a future injury worse than a prior injury.
re the comments below on “just work hard,” etc., he did need the professionalism lesson last winter, but that’s all, and it’s “time served” long ago. he has had the injury issues but usually produced. from my limited experience with benchings i could take or leave this wait your turn nonsense. i have been in settings where players are given room to show their value. i have been in settings where the coach could give a darn you exist, will put you out there if forced, but first minor mistake deputizing it’s the hook. particularly given it’s been years now in this sub role i wouldn’t hold my breath for the invisible hand to give you a chance, i would make my own exit. he did about all he could off the bench in the spring. he had basically starter numbers as a sub with an insane strike rate. short of a major coaching change at a UCL level team — unlikely — there’s no more he can do. take the time they give and he should already be gone.
i wouldn’t be surprised if the delay is this is all he knows and he’s loyal. lynden gooch has followed sunderland up and down promotion and relegation, and in doing so probably framed his career a way and limited any NT chances. vs. everyone who just joined leeds already left when they got dropped. but he obviously likes sunderland. i respect that. we also tend to conflate the team wants you gone with the player wants out, as “he’s on the market.” i. do not get the vibe dortmund is literally asking for any transfer. but then he was hurt in the summer as well. and thus maybe he’s not in a hurry.
but i see no trajectory with this. it doesn’t feel like musah steadily getting a role and more minutes in spain as a kid. short of the deciders changing there — and they are solidly UCL year after year — this is his role. i can’t imagine the kid with his talent who acted out about his USMNT treatment is completely comfortable like this, even if he’s been taught the lesson of don’t show it on the field. can’t last forever.
he has been in germany so long i’d imagine he’s learned a lot of the language and could be valuable in-country. that and he’s probably scored on some people who would have memories. but italy also seems like a hotbed of late. to me i’d avoid england right now. i am sure someone there would sign him but they loan a lot of us and i just don’t buy outside of certain first division teams or dropping down to the championship we’re taken completely seriously for the quality of player we have. kind of a “Lampard” type thing.
Terzic doesn’t seem to like to play him centrally. Just a glance at Transfermkt appears he plays on the wing 3/4 of the time. Brandt, Nmecha, Rues seem locked into the minutes there. That leaves competition with Malen, Adeyemi, Bynoe Gittons and the youngster Duranville. I think Gio told them he wants to go awhile ago perhaps even pre-WC now BvB isn’t going to take minutes from a guy who wants to be there that they can develop. That’s why despite his good production he only plays when way ahead or way behind.
IV
“i wouldn’t be surprised if the delay is this is all he knows and he’s loyal. lynden gooch has followed sunderland up and down promotion and relegation, and in doing so probably framed his career a way and limited any NT chances.”
What you’re missing in all this is that Gooch signed with Sunderland because it was the best deal he could make. He had had trouble with injury issues and he was not in great demand at the time.
People were surprised because, at the time Sunderland was still considered a place where careers go to die but a shit job is better than no job .
It helped that he liked the place and they liked him but signing there was a better the devil you know move.
He will move in Jan like Brandon Vazquez to another team in Europe.
Breaking into a top lineup is hard, but Gio should take the opportunity to completely heal and better himself in training. He will get his shot because, as we are all painfully aware, players get injured. Sooner or later one or more of the players in front of Gio will become unavailable and Gio will get meaningful minutes and be able to prove whether or not he deserves them.
Reus is 34 and has copyrighted the term “injury prone”, I think they sell “Verletzungsanfällig.” T-shirts.
And I believe he is playing on a reduced contract because BVB were thinking of maybe him retiring.
I agree that BVB are loaded in attack and Gio will have his work cut out for him trying to beat out all these other guys.
But that is actually the whole point.
BVB, unlike USMNT fans, believe that competition makes you better. USMNT fans want guaranteed PT. Having Gio healthy and in good form keeps a fire lit under the ass of everyone you mentioned. And should he not eventually beat out , for example, an Adeyemi, he will still be raising his transfer value, which is always the main issue with BVB. Dortmund is sell first and everything else second.
The way I believe BVB look at it is Gio is an asset and they are doing their best to increase his value for sale, maybe by January, more likely in the summer.
It just dawned on me why Reyna is going with the platinum look. Reus has it too. it’s psychological games with Terzic…must be it.
I believe it was beachbum who made the point that Gio’s hair now serves as a beacon, for those payers who need to know where their #10 is.
Not unlike Gyasi dying his hair the same color so that his Grandma would know where he was on the field whenever she was watching
Well, he came on for Reus today. Ahead of Adeyemi. Sabitzer came on and seemed to be playing much deeper than Gio. Gio in theory was supposed to be central, but spent most his 30 minutes out on the right side. And he looked very good.
Adeyemi is not having a great season. And you’re right , Sabitzer is seen as a different type of player to Gio.
USMNT self-righteous Gio haters are so quick to want to dump this kid. They forget Dortmund know Gio much better than any of us or Gregg. Besides the injuries, there’s a reason they haven’t let him go because of his parent’s behavior yet.
At 20, he’s still the fifth youngest outfield player on their roster.
People forget how they came out strongly for him when the World Cup scandal broke. I think they realized even then that if they can just get him back to his best self he can be one of their big money commodities.
It is all about money.
🤔 Who knew?
who knew what eactly?
*exactly*