After suffering another injury setback last month, Gio Reyna seemed very unlikely to have a day like Saturday so quickly.
But less than a month after he was taken off against Saudi Arabia, seemingly putting his World Cup in jeopardy, Reyna started and scored for Borussia Dortmund in a 5-0 shellacking of Stuttgart at Signal Iduna Park.
For Reyna, it was his first Bundesliga start of the season, his first goal in 14 months, and a massive confidence-booster with less than one month until the U.S. kicks off its World Cup campaign against Wales.
With Dortmund already up 2-0 in the first half against Stuttgart, Youssoufa Moukoko found Reyna at the edge of the box before the American got the ball on his right foot and fired home into the side netting.
Reyna’s celebration said it all, a mixture of happiness and relief as he took a big step toward full fitness and a major role in Qatar.
WHAT A FINISH FROM GIO REYNA!
His first Bundesliga goal in 421 days 😯 pic.twitter.com/IbOc7pdTtH
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) October 22, 2022
Now Reyna must build on Saturday’s performance and, more than anything, accomplish what he hasn’t been able to for some time: stay healthy for a long stretch.
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