Giovanni “Gio” Reyna US National Team Discussion

Wait, you mean I don’t get to pick the team? What the hell?!

I was only asking for your opinion but never mind.

 

I don't know how this will be taken, but I do not think Gio has booked his ticket with his performance. I DO believe he has passed several important tests:
1. Poch said it was more important to him to "get to know" Gio (or words to that effect). I believe that what he wants to see include effort in practice and he wanted to see how he interacted with his teammates. I don't know, but I would suspect that a big part of that is to see how he interacted with Berhalter. I don't expect that they needed to be "buddy, buddy" but I am sure that he wanted to see a professional attitude with no issues. My guess is that his place in the starting 11 is indication he probably passed that test. Without it, I'm sure there would be no going further.
2. During the game, I am quite sure that he wanted to see Gio's level of effort and engagement and see how he managed the ups and downs throughout the game.
3. Finally, possibly least important, he wanted to see Reyna produce.

By passing all of those tests in Poch's eyes (I am assuming he probably did), Reyna has put himself in the conversation. What he needs to do is to be consistent from here out and build on yesterday's success (primarily the motivation/professional aspects). If he does that, I believe he will play a role, but he ain't quite there yet.

 

I thought I adequately addressed your points and evidence.

You said that the center back had the ball for 4-5 seconds with his head up the entire time. That is false on two counts. He had it for three seconds, and he put his head down as he was delivering the ball as Reyna was approaching rapidly.

Gio wasn't "slowly" closing in, and most importantly, he was doing his job in the team context as he approached the ball.

You said that he should have just run 2/3 speed the entire way and then maybe he would have gotten there, but that is also false because this is a soccer game, not a track event. As gio is approaching, he has to be ready for different possibilities. For example, the CB might try to dribble, take a touch in a different direction, or play a pass immediately. Gio has to read and react to these things as he's moving.

Moreover, if Gio does run faster to get to the ball, the CB simply uses the LB with their numerical advantage and the possession continues from there. Extreme high pressure in this situation just doesn't make much sense.

 

Not sure how many times I have to call for "agree to disagree". I don't agree with your counterpoints to my points. I could go thru it point by point but it would be endless back and forth. Sometimes people see the same thing differently. Can we just put it rest?

 

I am doubtful that Pochettino can “get more” out of Reyna defensively. He is who he is. Unfortunately, that means Poch has hard choices to make about when he can use Gio. Could be a lot, could be spot, but Poch will know he’s giving up some pressing and clogging to get the vision and touch.

 

Gio not playing club minutes > anyone else.

He proves it yet again.

Maybe some people will finally realize it.

 

Yes, I won't say anything else about any of this past this post.

Rhetorically speaking, how can you say that was are simply "seeing the same thing differently" when you say something like the defender had the ball for 4-5 seconds when there is a clock on the screen that clearly shows that he has the ball for three seconds?

How can you say that he was approaching "slowly" when you factor in the facts about how the game is played that I have presented?

It seems more like an unwillingness to change your mind than something that you are actually seeing.

 

Wow, you just won't let it go. Again, I could offer counterpoints, but it would be more forever back and forth. FTR, technically, you're right it was about 3s that he was in possession - my first guess was an estimate counting by myself but I got out a stop watch and got about 3s. And a little over 4s from the time the ball was headed his way and it was obvious he was gonna possess it, and a defender would start to run to press. I don't think a second here or there materially changes the argument either way.

 

Paraguay was very physical. Our guys rose to met the physicality led by Roldan, etc. Roldan is a little guy and he won several 50/50 headers and balls. Luna was excellent in that regard when he came on as well. Our guys didn’t do that a year ago.

 

Now comes the coachability part where Pochettino challenges him to grow. Gio has struggled with this. Other guys like Richards, Tillman, Arfsten, etc, have been fundamentally challenged and have grown into newer, better players on the other side. If Gio thinks he doesn’t need to learn, he won’t make it. He very obviously needs to grow in several areas.

 

He definitely headed in that ball that Arfsten put right on his forehead after creating a chance from scratch. Everything else was unremarkable to poor.

If Arfsten wasn’t there, Gio would have had another floundering outing.

Did Gio run over and thank Arfsten for bouncing the ball off of his face into the goal afterward? Nope. He let us know he was still all about himself, just as he did later when Luna and Roldan created a turnover, pushed the issue, Balogun put Gio through, Gio had his cross to Roldan intercepted and then Balogun pounced on the loose ball to score the second goal.

 

If he keeps playing like this I'm sure Poch will "disagree" with the "maximalist anti case" more and more. Especially since that's largely invented, and surely isn't a good faith interpretation of what the poster to whom you responded was trying to say.

Personally, I'm not anti Gio at all... certainly not "maximalist anti-Gio"... he was nailed on as starter for me for a long time, and even now with his obvious issues and after he came back and looked so strong I think he might at minimum be first attacker off the bench if you're trying to unlock a defense, assuming he's healthy.

Maybe you should stop saying things that no one said.

Don't know how many times I can say "it's not really about one play", but here it is for maybe the fourth time. How can I want/expect Gio to intercept the ball if I place more blame on Scally & Robinson for the goal against? Which I also said. He was jogging. Just a little more pace, not a ton but a little, and the opponent might not even try the pass. That's the point. No one is asking for Gio to suddenly become Bobby Firmino. No one.

 

I don’t remember that

 

To be fair, you can’t either.

 

Well, to be more fair, my last 3 or 4 posts were essentially nothing other than "let's agree to disagree", with the exception of clarifying that 1 second discrepancy on the time the defender had on the ball - a point which I conceded. The response was that "agreeing to disagree" was a "cop out" on my part because I didn't agree to his point of view or address every one of his points. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

You tried.

 

I think you're right. But I also think if Gio WON'T give any more, then he'll be reducing his playing time by necessity.

 

Balogun's defensive run to cut off a Paraguay attack was amazing.

 

Poch said something like he just wants players to be playing.

It was about a year ago when MLS players seemed to be getting the nod over Euro players.

 

We have a bunch of flawed players that Poch will have to build and fill in around. It's good he's used and seen so many others and especially lesser glue guys. It's a puzzle not an all star team and we've all seen all star teams fizzle spectacularly in the WC with that one France team the most spectacular. He seems to understand better than most that there needs to be some lesser, un-glamorous guys doing a lot of dirty work combined with everyone else at least putting in maximum effort for it work with a lesser talented team. We know that works as a lot of CONCACAF teams lately have proven it against us. maybe we can do it to better teams in the WC.

 

I kind of liked Tessmann laying down the law a few times too. One thing I think I just noticed was how tall Arfsten is. Poch seems to like having a bunch of bigger guys out there - Miles, The Tank, Arfsten, Pepi, Wright, Reyna etc. So when creating guess rosters don't put mostly smalls because I don't think he will.

 

Tried what? He completely avoided the argument. Feel free to step in to it if you feel that Gio Reyna should have done something differently.

I've explained why it is lunacy to have expected him to do more there. He did his job. That goal is 0% on him. Scally should have dealt with the long ball over the top, and Miles/Ream should have dealt with the cross.

Absolutely no way Gio should have done anything differently. He closed the player in possession adequately. and running faster would have been dumb and borderline reckless as it could have left a pocket in the middle of the field open or set him up to get eliminated on the dribble. He did his job in forcing the pass into an area that others should have dealt with.

 

If Poch really gets this and follows through, it will be one of the best contributions he can make as manager.

 

Feel like Freese slowly backing into his own net like a horror movie victim should get a bit of blame too

 

"Tried" to end the endless back and forth with an "agree to disagree". I made arguments and I could have continued in a forever back and forth point / counterpoint, but I wanted to avoid that. People don't want to read that and I don't want to waste the time. At some point, it's just "agree to disagree". I've been in enough forever back and forths on BigSoccer.