Why is this article highly idiotic? Because neither Gio nor CP care what stupid pseudo record Reyna beats 2 days before or 3 days after Pulisic. Neither should we.
Not gonna read the article because the Bundesliga's English language stuff is thinly veiled PR nonsense, but breaking dumb records is definitely the type of thing they'd talk shit to each other about in future US camps.
Without reading this article you can't imagine what "records" they are talking about. Doubt that it's something to brag about.
Thanks to whoever created Gio's wikipedia page. I tried a couple weeks ago (after someone else had made an even poorer attempt in November) but it was still awaiting approval since I've never created anything on Wikipedia prior.
Similar to the ad boards surrounding the fields at the BL games they broadcast on FS1 being mostly in English. Reminds me of the saying: "If something is free, you are the product." Not that FS1 is technically free, but no one is paying specifically for FS1 on Comcast.
Gio Reyna: "A dream came true" https://soccer.nbcsports.com/2020/01/20/gio-reyna-borussia-dortmund-usmnt/
FWIW, Kleiban's assessment of GIo was still lukewarm at best as recently as the U17 WC: * Reyna's a good player, but doesn't excite me for variety of reasons. Chief among those, is (a) holding on to the ball too long; (b) his size at this level helps him a ton, let's see what happens later; (c) seems to be about himself, and not the team. BUT he's in Euro, so big +— 3four3 (@3four3) May 16, 2019 Also should be noted that "good player" is not really a compliment coming from him. Good = adequate in Gary-speak, a 6 out of 10, at least from what I've seen of his analysis on twitter.
yes that is a phrase that all must remember in the digital age - “if the service is free then you are the product”
Couple of interesting points taken from transfermarkt; 1) his contract end in 1.5 years..... Hmmm lol. 2) he has yet to have a listed market value. Initial value would conservatively be interesting. Would say initially listed 2million€, given transfermarkt expierence. 3) the dortmund fans are drooling over him on his thread page.
Seems like a pretty fair assessment based on his play with the u7s. Which of these three items do you disagree? (a) holding on to the ball too long; (b) his size at this level helps him a ton, let's see what happens later; (c) seems to be about himself, and not the team. If you go to this thread, you will see many posters making similar comments. You will also notice the extreme criticism that Kobe got for his play in the WC. Some folks take this stuff too seriously and personally and turn incredibly petty. https://www.bigsoccer.com/threads/2019-u17-world-cup-cycle.2076693/page-72 BUT he's in Euro, so big + Dortmund have already looked to have done a great job with him. He looks like a completely different player than he did with the u17s. He has been playing completely within himself, looking for teammates, and his physicality have enabled him to hang with grown men. Gary may have not been completely right on this one, but his concerns werent unfounded. The same way that all the people in the Mendez thread that I think are wrong about AM but their concerns about his physical tools still have merit.
If your last data point was 10 years ago... maybe cue up the vcr... (lol: typo!) People having definitive thoughts about the long-term quality/prospects of a 16 yo are braver men than me. Anyone should have seen Reyna potential. Anyone realistic also knows his trajectory will not be straight up to infinity. But baring injury (spit, salt, knock, cross, repeat), he sure does not look out of place. Once he starts having to perform day-in, day-out and teams know what they're facing, it will be more interesting. Gotta be pretty optimistic, overall.
Not agreeing or disagreeing necessarily, but since there was some speculation upthread that Kleiban's views may have changed over time, I thought it would be relevant to cite what he has actually said since the initial tweet.
Fair enough. I think that the info that would cause someone to change their mind is relatively new.... last month or so? His play in the WC in October didnt suggest the significant improvement that he has shown playing Dortmund in the last few weeks.
Agree... obviously the fact that his game is developing rapidly is a hopeful sign for his future potential. Oh and I think that Kleiban tweet I linked to may actually be from around the time of the Concacaf U17 championships rather than WC, but I'm too lazy to look it up. It's crazy that this kid won't turn 20 until a week before the 2022 WC.