I'd take it, if I was playing whomever won it in the quarterfinals (and I wasn't England taking penalties).
With his substitution into #MCIBVB, 18-year-old Gio Reyna reaches a very special #USMNTinUCL milestone. 🇺🇸 #UCL pic.twitter.com/sKgBqs8JlK— U.S. Soccer Men's National Team (@USMNT) April 6, 2021
That's just cause you don't pay enough attention to my puns. As far as the folks discussing "playing in a dangerous manner" - there can't be contact (that's a regular foul) and it must prevent the other player from playing for fear of injury to you or them (hence the "high kick" being "dangerous" because the other player can't put a head or chest into the ball - or playing the ball on the group - other players stop so as not to kick you.) from LOTG: Playing in a dangerous manner: Playing in a dangerous manner is any action that, while trying to play the ball, threatens injury to someone (including the player themself ) and includes preventing a nearby opponent from playing the ball for fear of injury.A scissors or bicycle kick is permissible provided that it is not dangerous to an opponent
Ugh. He wasn’t good or bad - he was just kinda “there.” That’s my biggest problem with Reyna for the past 6 months. When he gets on he field, he doesn’t really do anything to set him apart from any other player. It feels like BvB could replace him with any average Bundesliga player and they would get the same result at that position. And he still has that indifferent body language that irks me, but I don’t think he can help it. He and players like Havertz are the type that have a natural motion that looks lackadaisical. I still have high hopes for him, and he’s only 18. But he needs to show more. BvB gave him a new contract, and then he just appeared to fall off drastically. I’m still waiting to see the best Reyna
Reyna is a victim of his own early season success. Before the season, my idea of a "successful" season for him, that I posted here, was a full season of what he did last season, ie. mostly sub appearances, a few goals/assists, couple starts here or there based on injury and cup matches. That is effectively what he is now, and again, that should be considered a good season. He started off with a run of form that was in no way sustainable for an 18 year old in his first full professional season. Everyone got so excited, justifiably so, and then it became the expectation more or less, which was/is unfair. There should be no disappointment in the season for Reyna. The fact he is still in the lineup and getting real minutes despite not producing the counting stats show the manager(s) still value him highly. And as you said, the new contract said the same thing vis a vis the club. So good news all around I think, minus the pouty face/Duke basketball-level complaining.
I think they would have preferred to have kept the 1-1... or even gotten the 2-2, but it's not the end of the world for sure.
It’s a good result considering how they’ve been playing in league matches. Also good given they got an away goal.
Better than 1-0, not as good as 1-1. On balance, Dortmond should be pleased. They're coming home with a decent shot at advancing.
Agree with this. He’s seemed to just lack any sort of conviction in his game for a while. Dawdling on the ball with very few attempts at goal. Geez, at a certain point just dump a cross in when you have the Norwegian monster in the box. I was pleasantly surprised by Reyna in the friendlies. He definitely seemed to grab the bull by the horns more. I was fine with him ignoring Cannon’s multiple overlaps against Jamaica since he was at least driving forward to the box trying to make plays with a purpose. Want to see more of that with BVB.
Gio was surprisingly efficient today, in a role that involved quite a bit of defending. I wasn't expecting much, but he showed why he's still considered a Big Five prospect.
They both are kind of overachieving in early season, and experienced a little bit of up-down. For 17-18 years old, even for 20-22 years old, that is very normal.
I'm curious what's the sustainable component in your mind - physical or mental fatigue or a combination? What gets learned by the pros that allow them to be professional?
I'm not a sports psychologist or a current/former professional athlete, so I'm speculating, but I would guess a combination of both. In Reyna's case, maybe more of the mental grind, since he seems like a pretty big/developed kid and hasn't dealt with any injuries to my knowledge.
A CL match is a pretty high stakes environment for any 18 year old.Speaks well for what the club think of his mental fortitude. Didn't he miss time with a shoulder Injury ?
What are with the people freaking out about his current play? He's 18 and in his first full European season. The schedule is grueling, every game is against high level competiton, and there are multiple cup tournaments as well. It takes time for the body and mind to adjust and build up the resiliencey to the physical and mental stress. You can't know what the demand on your body and mind is until you do it. He now knows what it's like and will be better able to adjust. He's still a kid thousands of miles from his parents. Calm down. He's 18 and in another country on his own. Just adjusting to that takes a ton of resources.
We can calm down 20 years from now after the race has been run. I'd like to see Reyna start this Saturday at Stuttgart, planning to sub in once more v Man City on Wednesday. Time to get back on track.
Basketball players from college drafted into the NBA hit their "wall" about 2/3rds of the way trough their first season. Just a lot tougher to play more and against better players. They get used to it.
I can imagine a college freshman going thru the same cycle of doing well, missing family and friends, and then struggling to perform.