Amid all the turmoil surrounding him away from the field, Gio Reyna will be joining up with the U.S. men’s national team later this month.
The Borussia Dortmund midfielder is on interim coach Anthony Hudson’s roster for the USMNT’s upcoming CONCACAF Nations League group matches against Grenada and El Salvador.
The call-up comes just two days after U.S. Soccer announced the findings of an investigation into an ugly series of events involving former USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter, his wife Rosalind, and Reyna’s parents Claudio and Danielle.
While expected — controversies aside, Reyna is clearly one of the most talented players in the entire USMNT pool — the call-up is still some rare good news for the 20-year-old. After being stuck on the bench for three straight games at club level, Reyna came on early in Dortmund’s Champions League clash with Chelsea, but was criticized in the German press for his performance.
The following weekend, even with three other attacking midfield options unavailable due to injury or illness, manager Edin Terzić started Donyell Malen and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens in their Revierderby battle with Schalke. Reyna ended up playing only the final 11 minutes of a 2-2 draw.
Explaining Reyna’s inclusion, Hudson told U.S. Soccer’s website: “As I’ve said before, the situation during the World Cup was handled as a group, there was a positive response from the player, and we all moved forward.
“Clearly it became a bit more complex in the months since the World Cup, but as far as we’re concerned Gio is a part of our program. He’s a good guy and a top talent and he is evaluated like any other player. We made the roster decisions based on what gives the team the best opportunity to win these games, and we brought him in because we think he can help us do that.”
Speaking to reporters after the roster came out, Hudson added that within the USMNT staff, they felt the off-field issues were “separate” from Reyna. “He’s determined to come back in and do well and help the team,” said Hudson.
Full USMNT back together
Reyna wasn’t called in for the USMNT’s January camp, but it had nothing to do with off-field scandal or his battle for playing time at Dortmund. Rather, that camp fell outside of the FIFA window, so he (like the rest of the team’s European-based contingent) wasn’t available to participate.
The CONCACAF Nations League, however, is built into FIFA’s competition calendar, obliging clubs to release players. As such, Reyna will join up with the group that faces a March 24 match against Grenada in St. George’s, as well as March 27’s clash with El Salvador in Orlando.
While the USMNT will be heavily favored in both games, a loss at Exploria Stadium would eliminate them from June’s Nations League finals. A loss at Grenada would also position El Salvador to win Group D with a draw in Florida, as the three-team round robin format leaves little margin for error.
[lawrence-related id=15504,15498,15459]