Tag: gio reyna

Lalas: Nottingham Forest decided long ago it can’t count on Reyna

The USMNT star made his first start for Forest over the weekend

Gio Reyna may have finally made a start for Nottingham Forest, but that doesn’t mean the club believes it can count on him.

That is the opinion of Alexi Lalas, who spoke about the U.S. men’s national team midfielder’s dire club situation on the latest episode of his State of the Union podcast.

Reyna finally made his first Premier League start over the weekend, notching an assist from a corner kick as Forest drew Wolves 2-2 in a vital match.

It took the American nearly three months of his loan from Borussia Dortmund to get his first start, having played a total of just 90 minutes for Forest prior to Saturday’s match.

Though Reyna has finally made a breakthrough, Forest now has just five matches remaining this season. As a disappointing loan stint gets set to conclude, Lalas didn’t mince words about the USMNT star’s situation.

“You don’t need me to tell you that Gio starting, and Gio playing after what has been an absolutely abysmal time in terms of this loan to Forest is a good thing. Yes it’s a good thing. Does it change who Gio is as a player? No. Does it change how Forest in general look at him going forward? No,” Lalas said.

“I think they have gotten plenty of looks at what Gio is. And I think they have made the determination long ago that this is not somebody for the long haul. Not somebody they want to count on.”

Forest will face Everton on Sunday in a crucial relegation six-pointer. Reyna’s side enters the match one point and one place above the drop zone, with Everton just one point and one place above Forest.

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Did Reyna’s USMNT exploits earn him more minutes at Nottingham Forest? Nuno says…maybe

Nuno liked what he saw out of Reyna with the USMNT, but didn’t commit to giving him more minutes at Forest

Gio Reyna’s star showing for the U.S. men’s national team in its Concacaf Nations League triumph was impressive, but it’s not clear whether it will matter much to Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espírito Santo.

The Forest boss was asked on Thursday whether Reyna’s performance with the USMNT could help him crack the club’s lineup after playing just 39 of a possible 810 minutes since joining the club on loan from Borussia Dortmund this winter.

Nuno acknowledged Reyna’s excellent work with the U.S., but wasn’t ready to commit to any increase in playing time.

“Reyna, very happy, because he was [named Best Player in the Concacaf Nations League] and he did very well,” Nuno told reporters when asked about the status of Forest’s returning internationals. “So we need all the players, because we have a hard [road], and we need all of them.”

When a reporter asked directly about whether Reyna’s showings in Texas might push him into the team for Saturday’s clash with Crystal Palace, Nuno indulged in some classic coach-speak.

“We’re gonna see more of everybody!” insisted Nuno. “Because we need all of them, all of them. They are aware that now is not important to to get any feeling of selfishness. Selfish? No. It’s all about the team, and if you play one minute, it’s for the team.”

The manager was not willing to divulge much about the fitness status of his side, but did admit that striker Taiwo Awoniyi will remain out with an unspecified injury.

That might not help Reyna crack the lineup, as Awoniyi is very much a target man, and Forest expects leading scorer Chris Wood to be available on Saturday anyway.

However, if Nuno looks to winger Anthony Elanga as a second option up front, it could open up at least one avenue to more playing time for the USMNT playmaker, even if being out wide isn’t his top choice.

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‘Cream always rises’ – Bellingham boosts Reyna after USMNT masterclass

If anyone knows about Gio Reyna’s quality, it’s Jude Bellingham

If anyone knows about Gio Reyna’s quality, it’s Jude Bellingham.

The pair were teammates for three seasons at Borussia Dortmund before Bellingham departed last summer to join Real Madrid, where he’s added to his growing reputation as one of the world’s top players.

Reyna hasn’t had nearly the same level of club success since Bellingham left Germany. The 21-year-old didn’t get a sustained run of playing time at Dortmund before departing at midseason to join Nottingham Forest on loan.

But things haven’t been any better in England, with Reyna totaling just 38 minutes of action with Forest thus far.

The international break came as a much-needed respite for Reyna, who showed what he can do over two Concacaf Nations League matches with the United States.

Reyna assisted two Haji Wright goals in extra time of a 3-1 win over Jamaica in the semifinal, and then scored himself in a 2-0 win over Mexico in the final on Sunday. For his efforts, Reyna won the Golden Ball as the Nations League’s best player.

After taking home more individual and team hardware, Reyna posted a series of photos on Instagram. Bellingham jumped into the comments section with a boost to his old friend, saying: “Cream always rises to the top.”

The challenge for Reyna will now be to translate his international form to the club level. His next chance to impress for Forest could come on Saturday in a Premier League match against Crystal Palace, which features his USMNT teammate Chris Richards.

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Reyna rules Concacaf again as USMNT star named player of Nations League

There’s something about this competition that brings out the best in Reyna

Gio Reyna clearly loves the Concacaf Nations League.

The U.S. national team midfielder was named the best player of the Nations League after scoring in Sunday’s 2-0 win over Mexico in the final.

That performance followed a star showing in the semifinal against Jamaica, as the 21-year-old came off the bench to assist two Haji Wright goals in extra time of a 3-1 win.

With the USMNT up a goal thanks to a rocket from Tyler Adams before the break on Sunday, Reyna all but put the game out of reach against Mexico at AT&T Stadium.

Following some excellent work on the left flank from Christian Pulisic, Mexico could only clear as far as Reyna, who smashed a half volley to the near post that Guillermo Ochoa couldn’t reach.

Even as his loan at Nottingham Forest continues to be a massive struggle, Reyna once again found his best level with the USMNT.

“It never gets old winning titles with your country so I won’t take anything for granted,” Reyna told CBS Sports after the game. “I’m so happy for the guys and how they played today and how we fought through adversity. It was just a great game and I’m so happy for everyone.

“The group of guys and the energy we have here, it’s amazing. I always love coming to camp. I really mean it from the bottom of my heart. It’s a great group of guys and they’re so great to work with and be around. I can’t really say much more, I’m at a loss for words right now. It’s an honor to play with these guys and for my country.”

There’s something about this competition that brings out the best in Reyna, who had one of the best performances of his USMNT career in last year’s Nations League final against Canada.

Even as his club future continues to be murky, Reyna’s national team displays mean his role as a prominent member of this USMNT is unquestionable.

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Did Berhalter take a shot at Marsch after USMNT-Jamaica game?

The USMNT coach couldn’t help but spike the football after Gio Reyna’s display

After watching Gio Reyna’s incredible display for the U.S. men’s national team on Thursday night, Gregg Berhalter couldn’t help himself.

The USMNT defeated Jamaica 3-1 in extra time, advancing to Sunday’s Nations League final against Mexico at AT&T Stadium.

In his post-game press conference the USMNT coach was asked about Reyna, who came off the bench at halftime and delivered two outstanding assists for Haji Wright to decide a dramatic semifinal.

Chief on Berhalter’s mind was criticism he’d received for calling Reyna up amid a loan at Nottingham Forest in which he’s hardly seen the field.

“I think I heard somewhere or read somewhere, ‘Why did Gio get called in the camp?'” Berhalter said. “Did you guys hear any of that? Anyone?

“Well, I think he showed why he got called into camp. Amazing quality, amazing talent. And for us, it’s about supporting him through the difficult times of adapting to the Premier League. But his quality is unquestionable.

“When you see the plays he made on both the second and third goal, I think most importantly, the ball he wins and then makes the pass [on the third goal]. He has that quality that not many players have and it’s clear that he deserves to play on this team.”

Though Berhalter didn’t name any of the critics, he may very well have been referring to one in particular: Jesse Marsch.

The former Leeds coach and one-time candidate for Berhalter’s job questioned Reyna’s inclusion last week on CBS’s “Call It What You Want” podcast.

Marsch even seemed to suggest that Berhalter was overly deferential to Reyna after the scandal that erupted between the pair and their families last year.

This was hardly the first time that Marsch had taken aim at Berhalter in recent months. The former Red Bull Salzburg and RB Leipzig coach also questioned the inclusion of Tyler Adams on the current roster, called for exiled defender John Brooks to be given a major role on the USMNT, and said the USMNT lacks a signature win under Berhalter.

Given all of the above, it’s tough to really blame Berhalter if he felt like spiking the football a bit on Thursday night.

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Crocker: Reyna set for USMNT recall after Berhalter talks

“I think both Gregg and Gio are in a good place to move forward and that’s the best thing to say”

What could have been among the most fraught conversation in U.S. men’s soccer history appears to have worked as intended.

U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker says that head coach Gregg Berhalter and midfielder Gio Reyna have spoken, and that the Borussia Dortmund man is — if fully fit — in line for a USMNT return in October.

“Gregg has had conversations with Gio. They’re in a place where as soon as Gio is fit, he’ll be in the next camp,” said Crocker in quotes published by The Athletic. “I think both Gregg and Gio are in a good place to move forward and that’s the best thing to say.”

Last month, just before making his return to the touchline for the USMNT, Berhalter admitted that he and Reyna had not yet spoken.

“It’s not something where you just pick up the phone and say, ‘Hey bud, here’s how it’s going to be,'” Berhalter said in August. “There is work to be done.”

The fracturing of the relationship between Berhalter and Reyna is extraordinarily complex. The ordeal started with a simple on-field decision, with Berhalter informing the attacking midfielder that his role at the 2022 World Cup wouldn’t be particularly substantial.

From there, things spiraled. Reyna, by his own admission, gave inadequate effort in a subsequent closed-door match, and Berhalter later revealed at a HOW Institute event that he considered dismissing the 20-year-old from the World Cup squad.

Berhalter’s remarks going public were followed by Reyna’s parents, former U.S. internationals Claudio and Danielle Reyna, bringing an incident of domestic violence involving Berhalter and his wife Rosalind from 1992 to light.

A U.S. Soccer investigation eventually found that Berhalter was still eligible for consideration for the USMNT job, while also casting a very dim view of the elder Reynas.

Crocker: ‘A clear way forward’ for Reyna, Berhalter

In the aftermath, Berhalter said that he had apologized in writing to every USMNT player for his discussion of internal issues at the HOW Institute. Reyna, meanwhile, returned for the U.S. under interim coaches Anthony Hudson and B.J. Callaghan, playing well in the team’s CONCACAF Nations League triumph in June.

However, an injury sustained in the Nations League final prevented Reyna from participating in Dortmund’s preseason. On September 8, he participated in a Dortmund U-23 match, but has yet to make his season debut for the senior team.

“Clearly, there’s been a lot of emotions over the last 12 months, but the common connection is they both want the program to be successful,” said Crocker. “That’s the starting point. There is a clear way forward and a professional way of working and they’re both ready. Gio’s looking forward to the next camp, since he’s fit, and Gregg’s looking forward to working with him, the same as all the staff and all the players that want to welcome him back.”

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Reyna returns for Borussia Dortmund in U-23 match

The USMNT forward will hope to make his season debut after the international break

Gio Reyna is one step closer to making his season debut with Borussia Dortmund.

The Bundesliga club said on Friday that the U.S. national team forward had played in a game with its U-23 team, marking his first match action of the 2023-24 campaign.

Dortmund’s Instagram account said that Reyna played around 60 minutes in a 1-0 defeat to Schalke’s U-23 squad.

Reyna missed all of Dortmund’s preseason and the club’s first four regular season matches with an injury he sustained in June’s CONCACAF Nations League final.

Reyna was also left off the USMNT squad for this month’s friendlies against Uzbekistan and Oman as he nears a return to full fitness.

Dortmund is off to a sputtering start in its Bundesliga campaign, winning its opener against FC Köln but then drawing consecutive games against likely relegation battlers Bochum and Heidenheim

The 20-year-old will hope to make his season debut after the international break when Dortmund travels to face Freiburg on September 16.

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USMNT players in UEFA Champions League 2023-24

11 U.S. players are in the world’s biggest club competition

There was once a time where a U.S. men’s national team player being on a Champions League squad list — even if they might have no shot at playing in any actual games — was a very big deal.

It’s safe to say those days are gone, with no fewer than 11 U.S. players on the books for clubs that qualified for this year’s competition.

Sure, in some cases the player in question is probably a major longshot to even dress on gameday, but between Christian Pulisic’s sublime start to life at AC Milan and a USMNT trio at PSV, USMNT fans are likely going to be watching games on multiple screens just to keep up.

Here is the complete list of U.S. men’s players to make it to this year’s Champions League proper:

Berhalter apologized to every USMNT player after HOW Institute talk

The coach’s comments set off a firestorm that ultimately resulted in a major scandal

U.S. men’s national team head coach Gregg Berhalter has said he apologized individually to all of his players after he unwittingly revealed that he nearly sent Gio Reyna home from the World Cup.

Shortly after last year’s tournament in Qatar, Berhalter gave a talk at the HOW Institute in which he said he nearly sent an unnamed player home from the World Cup. Later reporting from The Athletic, and then an Instagram post from Reyna himself, confirmed that the 20-year-old was the player in question.

Berhalter believed that the event was off the record but his comments were published by the Charterworks newsletter, setting off a firestorm that ultimately resulted in one of the biggest scandals in U.S. Soccer history.

Having now returned to his position after six months away, Berhalter told reporters on Wednesday that he immediately tried to make amends with his players after his comments got out.

“I sent a note to each and every player to apologize for this getting out in the way that it did,” Berhalter said. “It was never about names, it was more about an example of our strong team culture. And I felt that if it hurt one player, then it’s worth apologizing to the entire group. And that’s what I did.”

Berhalter has said he’s yet to speak directly with Reyna since his return as head coach, with the Borussia Dortmund forward left off the USMNT’s September roster as he continues to work his way back from injury.

The USMNT coach said he’s looking forward to eventually speaking with Reyna, adding that he has yet to do so because he is trying to approach the situation carefully due to past events.

“For this, it’s just being a little bit more thoughtful, a little bit more sensitive to the past,” Berhalter said. “And I look forward to having conversations with him. I look forward to watching his progress and hopefully him getting back on the field and then for us, hopefully being able to include him in the October camp.”

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USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter admitted that he still hadn’t spoken to Gio Reyna since scandal

What kind of leader is that?

The U.S. Soccer Federation took a huge risk when it decided to re-hire Gregg Berhalter as head coach of the U.S. men’s national team six months after letting his contract expire amid a scandal that shook the program.

Berhalter has yet to coach his first USMNT match since the hire, but the he’s already taking a disappointing approach to resolving the conflict with Gio Reyna and his family.

After the 2022 World Cup — which saw the USMNT lose in the round of 16 to the Netherlands — it was revealed by Berhalter that a player (who ended up being Reyna) was nearly sent home due to a poor attitude. Despite being one of the team’s most talented players, Reyna was told that he’d have a limited role in Qatar. That ultimately led to Reyna’s parents informing the USSF about an alleged domestic violence incident between Berhalter and his now-wife Rosalind from 1991.

With all that drama, it would have made sense for the USSF to go in a different direction. After all, the top team (Reyna included) looked excellent in a dominant Nations League title against Mexico and Canada with B.J. Callaghan at the helm. And at the very least, it would have made sense for Berhalter to view reconciling with Reyna as his top priority.

Well, it’s nearly September — almost three months after Berhalter’s hire — and Berhalter still hasn’t met nor spoken with Gio. He admitted as much in an interview with Vanity Fair:

Berhalter said he has consulted experts in mediation work to ensure the dispute with Reyna is handled “in the right way.” It’s all still raw, and Berhalter is proceeding cautiously. “It’s not something where you just pick up the phone and say, ‘Hey bud, here’s how it’s going to be,’” he said. “There is work to be done.”

But what is he waiting for?

Berhalter has taken trips recently to meet with European-based players in the program, and it would have been so easy to meet with Reyna who is still with Borussia Dortmund. Yet, Berhalter keeps pushing the uncomfortable conversation off, and it’s only going to get more difficult as time drags on. He also hasn’t met with Ricardo Pepi — a surprising World Cup snub at striker — who still should have a major role with the team despite Folarin Balogun’s switch from England to the USMNT.

The news gave USMNT fans another reason to crush Berhalter’s re-hire.