Giovanni “Gio” Reyna US National Team Discussion

https://www.fifatrainingcentre.com/...ts/fifa-world-cup/2026/PMSR-M04-USA-V-PAR.pdf

Page 50 to save you some time.

 

I hope……. Hope Parma is still high as a kite in our guy., delightful loan if possible

 

Reyna top speed

2020/21 32.57
2021/22 33.88
2022/23 32.06
2023/24 -
2024/25 31.02
2025/26 30.7

Scally hit 35.24 in 24/25 and Campbell > 36

 

I don’t think there’s any question he’s lost something physically. It is what it is. He’s never going to realize the potential we thought he may but that doesn’t mean he won’t contribute at the World Cup.

 

What about Tillman?

 

32.72 this season

 

Sure, but Spain's "non-star wingers" would easily be our star players. Their team is loaded with very high quality players. If they absolutely need their future Ballon d'Or winner to start in order to beat a team like Cabo Verde, then they will go nowhere this WC.

 

I know they are displaying it as a 4 man backline, but a lineup that contains Ream-Richards-Freeman is in essence a 3 man backline with Jedi pushing up the pitch in possession.

With a 3 man backline it's very difficult to find a starting spot for Gio. You're basically subbing out the central attacking mid position that Gio would have played for that extra center back.

I'm Gio's biggest fan and defended him even during the GB debacle....but in Poch's system he's going to be a second half super sub. It just is what it is. He's going to have a big part to play in how far we go in this tournament because his quality on the ball will become more and more needed as the competition level ramps up.

He is one of those guys whose club situation is pretty much irrelevant. Something happens to that kid when he puts on the US jersey and all of that potential starts to realize.

 

Though they started at winger Gavi on one side who is a great player but not really a winger. Their 9 is also not particularly special.

They still should have won but this team is very dependent on Yamal in the final third. Which is generally fine because he’s very good.

See also https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7364313/2026/06/15/spain-cape-verde-world-cup-yamal-williams/

This is not unique internationally either. England for instance while having lots of very good players is also very Harry Kane dependent.

 

Hahahahahahaha

 

The Cape Verde result backs up the premise that anything can happen over 90 minutes. People tend to read so much into one result.

 

I think the thing is even the elite teams the talent isn’t always well distributed positionally. They can have a ton of talent in one spot but still have weaknesses elsewhere.

Spain being an example where they have more midfielders than you can ask for example but lacking at the 9 position.

Same reason Tuchel left off some really good players on England cause not like it made sense to take 5 number 10s to the World Cup.

It’s also true there’s only a handful of elite guys total at the level of a Yamal and that’s not really replaceable for any team.

 

Sure, top teams can't afford to lose their best player and still expect to WIN the World Cup. But they should expect to be able to beat the worst team (on paper, anyway) in their group, and one of the worst overall in the tournament. The better team doesn't always win, but the disparity between Spain and Cabo Verde should mean that Spain trounces them easily, with or without their top one or two players in the starting lineup.

 

Like England's left-back problem.

 

Makes you wonder if they wish they had Jedi

 

The thing is Spain did dominate the game by any measure. It’s just very hard to score on a team playing a well organized lower block. We see that with top teams all the time and it’s where the difference makers like Yamal come into play.

We certainly struggle against low blocks in CONCACAF all the time versus teams where’s there’s a very clear talent difference.

 

He would have definitely gotten opportunities with them over the years.

 

Malik IIRC had been clocked at 34 change kph in UCL in the 24 to 25 season.

The focus on Gio's top speed measurements is a bit misplaced; A player typically requires 30+ meters to reach top speed during a match and for many players the game states just don't give them many opportunities to get close to top speed.

If you look at the numbers, players like Gio, Malik, Wirtz, Musiala, Olise, Diaz, ... are all in the same 33 kph to 34 kph band as far as top speed during match. None of them are burners, in the BuLi you have to be > 36 kph to be considered fast.

Where Gio falls far short is in work-rate; In addition to the 33+kph those players will give you 20+ sprints and 60+ intensive runs per match, well 80+ if you are Wirtz. Gio even when he was a regular starter gives you a third of those top AMs.

 

We do struggle against low blocks in CONCACAF, but those games are generally played on bad fields against teams allowed to play very dirty by our refs.

 

Sure but you’ll it happen even in the top leagues in Europe from time to time.

 

theres a direct correlation between people who cite reynas speed as a disqualifying factor and dismissing reams as irrelevant

 

Both are issues but i agree the bigger challenge has been basically time sprinting or number of sprints