Gio Reyna gets another World Cup shot, minus the assumptions of his USMNT role
NEW YORK — Gio Reyna was sitting with his wife in the parking lot of a favorite smoothie shop when the email appeared and the celebrations began.
Four years ago, he’d have known the call was coming. Now, last Friday afternoon? As 1 p.m. approached, nerves jangled. Neither he nor anyone around him was sure whether he’d make the U.S. roster for the 2026 World Cup.
After all, he hadn’t started a single game for his German club, Borussia Mönchengladbach, in 2026. Over the past three seasons, he’d contributed to only five club goals. He hadn’t done much to prove himself worthy, to earn one of 26 precious places at this star-spangled tournament.
But then the email flashed onto his phone. A video from U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino followed. Anxiety disappeared, and excitement surged. He’d made it. After all the injuries and struggles for playing time, he’d made it.
So was he surprised?
“No,” he said Tuesday. “I wasn’t, no.”
He spoke for several minutes, mostly with a smile, and at times, his answers might have come across as tone deaf, even cocky, perhaps evidence that Reyna hasn’t changed much since 2022.
When asked what he learned from that World Cup — when he was nearly sent home due to behavioral issues — and whether he’s a different person four years later, he responded: “Ummm, not much I guess. It’s obviously in the past.”
When asked by CBS Sports whether his place at this World Cup feels “like a little bit of personal redemption,” he shrugged and responded: “Uh, no, not really. Ahhh, I don’t really know what it would be redemption for.”
But he clearly has changed.
Four years ago, he went to Qatar at age 20 assuming he would play. When, according to his own version of events, he was told that his “role at the tournament would be very limited,” he was devastated. “I believe in my abilities,” he explained in an Instagram statement after the tournament. “I fully expected and desperately wanted to contribute.”
As it became clear that wouldn’t happen, at least not how he’d envisioned, “I let my emotions get the best of me and affect my training and behavior for a few days,” he acknowledged.
Four years later, he avoids at all costs any questions about those days in Qatar. But his attitude is different. Entering this World Cup, there are no expectations or assumptions.
“I think everyone wants to play every minute of every game,” Reyna said Tuesday. “But sometimes it doesn’t work like that. So, this time around, I’m just willing to do whatever it takes.
“Of course I want to play, but so do 26 guys, so it’s never that simple,” he added. And so, he concluded, “whatever is called for, I’ll be willing to help.”
Saying those words is one thing, of course; living them is another. But Reyna convinced the one man who matters, Pochettino, that this shift was genuine. Pochettino has spoken about wanting “the right players,” not necessarily “the best players.” And he decided that Reyna was right for this group.
Why?
“I think we all know Gio. Gio has an amazing talent, and experience too,” Pochettino said Tuesday.
“From the last camp [in March], and Philadelphia [in November], he was fantastic,” Pochettino continued. “He can add different things to the team. He has the quality to stop the ball, and play, and link with teammates. I think he has characteristics that make a difference.”
Gio Reyna celebrates his goal for the USA vs Paraguay last November. The two sides will meet in the Group D opener at the World Cup (Kyle Ross / Imagn Images)
That part, to many, is indisputable. But Pochettino went on, and made a statement that might have caught some doubters off guard.
“I really trust in [Reyna],” he said. “I trust in everyone, no? But I really trust in him.
“I don’t say that he’s going to play the game, but he can help. He can help because he’s a different player, different talent. And I think, in [any] roster, you need to have a player like him. That is why I really believe that he can be in a situation that can help in different aspects of the game.”
What are those situations? What will Reyna’s role be?
That, Reyna said, hasn’t yet been discussed.
Pochettino, in a rambling answer about his central midfield options, seemed to suggest that Reyna could play in a deeper, more defensive position. But he’s more likely to be a game-changing creator who’ll come off the bench.
The line he kept repeating Tuesday, though, was that whatever the role, he will be ready.
“I can’t thank him enough for having me come to a World Cup on home soil,” Reyna said of Pochettino. “It means a lot. It’s a dream come true. And at the end of the day, I want to repay him on the pitch, and help this team be successful.”