Giovanni “Gio” Reyna US National Team Discussion

the problem, with a lot of 10's these days in a 4231, is that it's hard to stay injury free trying to navigate the space. People imagine that gio should logically be CAM in a 4231 without understanding he'll be tackled from 4 sides and doesn't have eyes in the back of his head.

You can have the most 'talented' player in the world and not be able to use him where you want to use him. Messi couldn't dodge tacklers in Qatar, like days of yore at Barca, but they found a way to use him because the whole team was "all-in" with winning the cup for Messi - and Argentina, ofc. Maybe we find the same spot for Gio, maybe not. I trust Poch to use Reyna in the best way possible.

 

That's nice. When in form, he can produce. We know that.

 

I don't think we have a better defender than Scally, frankly, and he's still very young with growth ahead of him rolling into 2026. With Scally on the pitch I don't worry about the inevitability of a Dest melt down because Scally is always dialed in - even to his personal disadvantage at times.

We have to be realistic and accept that our problem is lack of a high(est) level 9 and defense. There's enough talent at other positions to make a "best ever" type run in 2026. I'd point to the recent games under Poch as a way of demonstrating that the mantra of "we cant' advance the ball without Dest" was strictly a case of Berhalter having the clueless American soccer media under his spell. We have no problem advancing the ball under Poch and Dest isn't playing.

 

True story.

Which players have played in every game under Pochettino so far?

The list is very short.............................and Musah is on the list. Seems to be a player that Pochettino values. That's not to say Reyna won't be when healthy.

[Musah himself has said recently that his preferred position is a box-to-box central midfielder. Said that when Fonseca was starting him at right back for a couple of games at Milan.]

 

the question answers itself

 

Indeed.

There are very few "lock starters" on the USMNT.

As we should want it. We should want EVERY position to be a competition with form, fitness, etc. mattering.

We should all want guys like Tillman, Aaronson, and Reyna to be performing so well that Pochettino tears his hair out wondering how to fit them in.

 

Nice match for Reyna against one of the best teams in the tournament. His passing and vision were excellent and his movement/defense was better.

As we all hope, we should hopefully see more of him for Dortmund.

I don't worry about Reyna with the USMNT. If healthy, he will be on the field for most games. As others noted, it's a good problem to have quality numbers at midfield (good competition). Gives the coach many options and depth.

In the end, USMNT will only go as far as the defense and goalkeeping takes it.

 

I suspect Poch views Musah like his club managers, a utility player with potential. I feel pretty strongly that his “prominence” under Poch was heavily influenced by Weah’s availability and the lack of Dest (which meant that we were going to use Scally and needed a RM to provide advanced width).

How will (Argentine) Poch view (2nd gen Argentine) Reyna? Seems likely he’s going to view him favorably.

 

Repped for:

 

I'm not worried about where he will fit in. I am worried about his health. If he is healthy, he will fit in. He could easily take Tessman's role, from last window, or Musah on wing (who was good but not great imo). That still leaves room for McKennie to stay and Adams to return.

Health is the key. He is good enough, that if he wants it, he can have it.

 

It'll certainly be interesting to see what Poch does with a healthy Gio, Adams, Dest and Balo.

 

FYP.Id love to see it.

 

Previous Reyna vs Barcelona video appears to have been taken down...

Gio Reyna against Barca (@twofeetelite ) - reupload #USMNT #BVB pic.twitter.com/Qbj7jP1WRZ

— dcfcnetti 🇺🇲 (@dcfcnetti) December 12, 2024

🗣️ Gio Reyna on his performance vs Barcelona:

"It was great. I'm just really happy to be back on the field, It's obviously when I'm happiest. When Nuri [Şahin] told me that I get the chance to play, obviously I just want to take it and have a good game," Reyna said in an… pic.twitter.com/g6zSIZewF4

— USMNT Otaku 🇺🇸 (@USMNTOtaku) December 12, 2024

Gio Reyna had 31 touches yesterday against Barcelona, off that low volume he hit 9 progressive passes. He probably had 3 chalked off because of offside calls. That’s an incredible job of finding space against an elite opponent.

— Bob Morocco (@bob_morocco) December 12, 2024

Best bit of context I’ve seen to highlight whether Gio had a good game vs Barca.

Some more context: he played that way in just his 3rd start for club in the past year, not counting friendlies.

The ability is clearly there. Just needs to stay healthy and get regular minutes. https://t.co/qxcGO8oKqK

— Kranks (@dis_possessed) December 12, 2024

Except that there have been plenty of people posting in this thread who do not appear to know that!

 

More interesting would be whether these players can be at the same time for an extended period.

 

Yeah a healthy and dependable core is completely hypothetical.

 

I think they all go right into the starting lineup. They are all significantly better than their understudies.

 

Fair,but do you then run them the whole first two rounds (four games)?
The 48 team cup makes your second XI more important than ever.

 

I'm no longer sure Balogun is better than Pepi.

 

Tough to say. I suspect a healthy Balogun would rip the Eredivisie.

 

Who knows?

What we know is that there will always be injuries.
And the frequency of injuries to players in the top European leagues has been rising.

So we need all of these players like Gio, Tillman, Aaronson, etc. to be in the mix.

We need the pool of players at every position to deepen.
Like France, who had a ton of injuries prior to and during WC22. Still made the final and could have won the whole thing.

So yes, as USMNT fans we should all want Reyna to return to form and be integrated into the national team program. Even if you think he plays the same position as Pulisic. There's no guarantee that Pulisic will be available for WC26.

 

Gio just needs to play

 

Nonsense. Any knowledgeable fan knows exactly who Tillman is. He is a player who will create a lot of chances while also winning a lot of balls in the middle of the pitch. Not a like for like replacement for Gio. Both are quality players with different with some overlap skillsets.

🪄📈 Most chances created in the UEFA Champions League so far...

1) Malik Tillman - 21
2) Florian Wirtz - 18
3) Raphinha - 17
4) Jamal Musiala - 16
5) Achraf Hakimi - 16 pic.twitter.com/jRJ6KNZdWB

— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) December 13, 2024

 

Hard to say one way or the other. I would have suspected that Balo would rip some of the teams he has played against with USMNT as well.

As far as I am concerned, the only true thing is that "his spot" with the USMNT is clearly competitive.

 

Some of us can appreciate both Reyna and Tillman