In the current golden generation of the US Men’s National Team, Gio Reyna shone brighter than almost any other player. The attacking midfielder broke through as a teenager at Borussia Dortmund and quickly earned a reputation as one of the most exciting young players in world soccer.
A lot has changed since then.
Reyna has become a peripheral figure at the Westfalenstadion. Injuries have hindered him in recent seasons, but the 21-year-old has been fit for the majority of the 2023/24 season, yet he has started just one Bundesliga match for Dortmund. Edin Terzic insists Reyna remains part of his plans, but there is no evidence to support this.
With the January transfer window just around the corner, Reyna has a big decision to make on his future. He can’t afford to spend the second half of the season on the sidelines; now might be the time for the USA international to force his way out. He needs to find a team that is willing to give him a platform to prove himself.
Recent reports claim Reyna could depart Borussia Dortmund on loan with Borussia Monchengladbach one of the clubs that have shown interest in the attacking midfielder in the past. At Gladbach, Reyna would link up with his USA teammate and close friend Joe Scally and stay in the same country.
AC Milan are also believed to be monitoring Reyna’s situation at Dortmund. The Rossoneri have a strong track record of finding talented who have lost their way at other big clubs and giving them a second chance to flourish – see Christian Pulisic, Theo Hernandez, Brahim Diaz, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek. Reyna would fit the bill in this regard.
Others argue Reyna would be better off making the move to the Premier League. England’s top-flight is the strongest league in Europe and the 21-year-old has the talent to succeed at that level. Not so long ago, the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City were consistently linked with Reyna. Now, though, those links have vanished. His Premier League options might be limited.
For club and country, 2023 was a challenging year for Reyna. The fallout from the 2022 World Cup stretched into this year, with Reyna caught up in a messy scandal that involved his family and USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter. There was a point at which it seemed Reyna’s USMNT future might be at risk.
By the summer, though, Reyna was back in the USMNT roster and ended the year with a series of eye-catching performances. In particular, Reyna’s partnership with Folarin Balogun inflated belief that the USMNT can take the next step in its development under Berhalter. They need more ways to break down opponents, and Reyna provides moments of creativity to do so.
Heading into 2024, which will see the USMNT participate in the Copa America, the 21-year-old is a key part of Berhalter’s team. Fans have been afforded a glimpse of the player Reyna can become and many are counting on him carrying that form into the 2026 World Cup on home soil.
To truly do that, though, Reyna will need a better situation at club level. He might have to be proactive to force a change in January otherwise he could waste the most important years of his fledgling career. By the 2026 World Cup, Reyna must be a first-team figure somewhere in a ‘Big Five’ European league.
“Gio has always suffered setbacks,” Terzic said when asked about Reyna’s situation earlier in the year. “He was injured once with the national team. He has made a few short appearances, played from the start against Bremen, and had no playing time in the last three games. He knows what we expect from him. But we also know what he can give us. He has to be diligent and patient.”
Patience will only take Reyna so far, though. Terzic could be fired from his job as Borussia Dortmund manager before the end of the season, with some reports claiming he might be moved upstairs into a sporting director position at the club. But Reyna shouldn’t wait around for the landscape to shift. He should shift it himself.
