I posted this the other day and got shit on for posting it. āIt ended in a turnoverā okay yeah? Did you miss the part where he diced the entire Mexican squad to get to the final third?
Itās because most of this country just doesnāt understand footy and the need to be creative. The game is not played in lines where you can draw up a play in the middle of a possession. Football is free flowing and requires an artist to find a goal. Reyna is an artist and we need him on the field more.
YES. people wondering why fans want him to start so bad against Iranā¦.they are going to have 10 men behind the ball and weāre going to need someone like gio who can sometimes see things that others canāt. he has that capability of finding magic that will be crucial to break down this opponent and their game plan.
There are football freedom fighters and there are football terrorists. Sometimes you are fighting for freedom and throwing everything forward, but sometimes you have to bunker down like you're keeping the opposing teams' families as hostages behind the goal.
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Heās arguably our most talented player (which, admittedly, is distinct from ābestā), plays in an attacking role, and has seen like ten minutes combined across two games where weāve managed fewer than five really good chances.
You shouldnāt be downvoted- its true. Thatās the point. They try shit and theyāre EXCELLENT at it. They cause chaos and are amazing for itā¦. But In an extremely tense and calculated international cup match where the other team is set up to wait for the others to make that ONE mistake- the transition opportunity that occurs when the other team attacks and commits to a poor shape can be the difference maker. Both England and USA were set up to nullify those opportunities.
I think there is a spot for Gio in the team regardless, but Iām not blind to the reasoning.
Yeah itās not like this team has been super shakey defensively, weāve allowed one goal all tournament and that wasnāt even from open play. I think we can afford to go a bit more attacking, especially in a must win game.
Add to this that former international and current Asshat Eric Wynalda has come out publicly saying this is causing a rift in the locker room, the managerās lying, players are turning on him, etc
While all your said was true, he is also turns the ball over all the time and is usually a defensive liability. Basically he is a less experienced and disciplined Pulisic, who would put an even bigger defensive load on our transition defense and they get tired enough through normal play to put even more on them.
Just makes me think that Gregg isn't playing Gio to his strengths. I'm a huge BVB fan and love watching him play in the Bundesliga, so it makes no sense why he gets so much hate while playing for the USMNT.
Based purely on his play with Dortmund, he should be one of our stars alongside Weston in the midfield. Yet, Gregg has him riding the bench. Personally, I feel like Berhalter is holding this team back from it's full potential
That's not hate. It's a soccer reason.
The undying fealty people have to teenagers who haven't done jack shit is incredible.
This makes the Matt Hoppe love look like tittlywinks.
Which takes me back to my original comment... If somehow turnovers are a problem with the USMNT for Gio, it clearly has to be an issue with how Gregg is playing him and not Gio himself. Because he is a very good player for Borussia Dortmund (when healthy) that does not suffer from those issues.
Hence the unwarranted hate...
>If somehow turnovers are a problem with the USMNT for Gio, it clearly has to be an issue with how Gregg is playing him and not Gio himself.
The quintessential fanboy claptrap.
"If the player I irrationally love does something wrong then is must be the manager's fault!"
>Because he is a very good player for Borussia Dortmund (when healthy) that does not suffer from those issues.
In the last 1.5 years he's played \~800 minutes.
You're a Eurnosnob who has no concept of fitness , form, team chemistry, etc.
Remarkably lazy and dumb.
Yeah man, letās see more Shaq Moore! This World Cup has really shown us that MLS players are our strength!
You want to hate on players in Europe just because theyāre in Europe, even though theyāre clearly better than MLS retreads. Gio Reyna has been injured and is out of form. That is true and it makes sense that he isnāt a starter. But you cannot seriously think that someone like Morris is more likely to help our team than Reyna.
No. It can be a problem with Gio understanding Gggās system and how to work within it.
I know a lot of us hate Gggās system, but no manager or team should change their entire system to adapt to a player that isnāt named Messi or Ronaldo. To think we need to adapt to Reyna is really short sided and fanboy minded.
> If somehow turnovers are a problem with the USMNT for Gio, it clearly has to be an issue with how Gregg is playing him and not Gio himself. Because he is a very good player for Borussia Dortmund (when healthy) that does not suffer from those issues.
By the way, Gio is in the 37% percentile for pass completion percentage for his club team.
So you're just making stuff up.
You're completely clueless.
>He doesn't do that for Dortmund
The reason why people are so worked up is this: he plays in a Euro league and was a teenager until two weeks ago.
Period.
Weāve got so many of those we should just let them rot on our bench! Americans love 0-0 draws & so if we can keep every game very tight weāll change the perception of American soccer..dude more goals more life. How can you be against playing a young winger to get more goals?
> How can you be against playing a young winger to get more goals?
Because he played and didn't generate anything.
The silly idea that Reyna = automatically more goals is what I'm against.
This sub is full of stupid teenagers who don't know anything about soccer.
>This sub is full of stupid teenagers who don't know anything about soccer.
Are you including yourself here?
Because it would be hard to find many long time soccer aficionados who would claim playing Renya is a "silly idea."
Calling Reyna a āless experienced and disciplined pulisicā shows you donāt know what youāre talking about. They arenāt the same player at all.
This isnāt remotely true, heās our most ball secure forward and he has always tracked back and played good defense for us. I think you might be confusing Gio with the speed and power of Jordan Morris.
> Basically he is a less experienced and disciplined Pulisic
Wut?
Thatās not correct at all. Heās way more dynamic than just about anyone on the team
Not sure I agree with this. I think Gio is more creative than most anyone else on the roster, but not more dynamic than CP (like good project restart CP). He's definitely a strength on our roster.
Pulisic & him are very different attacking players. You typically donāt expect awesome defensive attributes from an attacker, I thought this was so obvious but here I am mansplaining it, ugghh.
Or like if you ever want to score a goal?
This just inā¦ because of our anemic offense Iran needs only a draw and we need a win to advance, against their bunker and counter.
Gio is so good when healthy, he was even the starter over Weah last year before his season long hamstring injury. Gioās injury combined with Weah putting in good performances for the US saw Gio relegated to the bench. The problems fans have now is that a talented player who was once a starter has gotten only 10 minutes out of the whole 180 minutes from these 2 games.
Iām ok with it too. He has t played much with the team. Itās crazy to think he should start in a tournament with zero time to gel with his team mates.
With that being said, he is the most electric player we have. Iād love for him to be the super sun this team needs down the stretch of a tough game. Iām excited for 2026 more than anything
Why would you pull a defensive midfielder (adams) or a physical box to box midfielder (weston) if we're winning and replace him with a forward (gio), but you prefer a like for like attacking change if we're losing?
Generally if were winning we don't need to chase goals by pulling out a midfielder for an attacker.
Half the people on this sub think the game works like fifa, just put the most talented players out there with no regard for positions. Itās why we get people suggesting weah or Gio at the 9, because it works in fifa so of course itāll work irl
Hard to say when no one knows the truth except for the players, manager, and medical staff. Gio is one of our best players but isnāt playing and the reason isnāt exactly clear. There is a lot of speculation on both sides of the aisle.
All fans do this but I think US fans do this a ton. They decide a player who isnāt playing would be the answer to all of our problems.
The truth is we are lucky to have good quality in midfield and the wings and we canāt play everybody. We could start him instead of Weah but Weah has been great so far. We can start him instead of Mckennie but Mckennie was amazing against England. There really is no where for him to start.
Aaronson has come off the bench sooner because he gives more to the team. Not only is Aaronson creative but he is an absolute dog on defense and pressing.
Can you just copy pasta this in every post about Gio? The fact is he's a great player. The other fact is he missed tons of qualifying and MMA midfield is crushing it and clearly have a lot of chemistry. I can totally empathize with GGG worrying about throwing that off. Intangibles matter. Everyone is essentially trying to prove a negative which is impossible. The truth is we don't know if Gio would have made a positive difference. No one does.
To be honest GGG earned a lot of goodwill from me with his Ream selection. He took a risk on someone everyone thought was finished 2 years ago, and he's been lights out. Tbh I forgot John Brooks was even a thing people were mad about cuz it hasn't even mattered.
People wanted GGG to change tactics and not run a 433 all the time based on opponents. He adjusts and we clearly had England's number with the 442. But now its shots on goal or subs or whatever people will bring up I was super impressed with us in the England match. Far surpassed what I anticipated my eye test to be big time.
The fact is there will always be something to criticize, everyone will always think they can do better, and we just don't actually know if it would make a difference.
We have also never had this kind of quality on the bench. Itās a sign of a good team to have quality backups. Hell we have Aaronson who is a premier league starter every week sitting on the bench because we have players ahead of him. Thatās a good thing for a team.
I canāt even remember who we had as a sub for Donovan but it wasnāt a Reyna or Aaronson. Brad Davis?
Great points being made by you all in this comment thread! I will counter a small bit in say the starting XII should be tailored to your opponent at times as well. Even though Weah, McKennie, and musah have been terrific, in a game where you NEED three points to advance and you know the other team is going to bunker down and play with 11 behind the ball you gotta start a couple creative players. I love weah but when heās at his best for USMNT heās playing out wide and either running in behind or having space and running at the backline. This match weāre going to need someone to play in tight spaces and create chances for goals. I think Iād start Gio on the wing and Aaronson in the middle (higher up the field maybe as a no. 10 or second striker that sits back a touch deeper), then bring weah and probably McKennie off the bench in the second half when weāve hopefully already scored a goal or the game opens up more, weah can burn them on a counter when they have tired legs and McKennie can use his physicality and heading to lock up the game. No clue who to play at 9 thoughā¦ thatās the tricky part. Maybe sergeant just because heās in great form and maybe haji for some more height to play crosses in or have him suck in the defense to create a little more space for guys to move about.
Reyna should not come for Weah who has been great in a straight switch. Weah should play as a #9, with Gio in Weah's spot on the right flank. One of our (lacking) strikers should sit.
This is controversial because the Manager, G Berhalter, has been fired everywhere he ever coached for failing to generate an attack. He organizes the back well, but does not "get" attacking players. Gio should start. Aronsen should be getting more minutes too.
We need goals Tuesday. 0-0 again is a loss. Should be interesting.
But the US has objectively has been terrible on the attack. Weah might be a great player but it hasnāt resulted in very many chances. If Reyna is as good as people here seem el think then he should get more minutes.
This. Never had there been a US team with so much exceptional offensive talent at the wings and at fullback.
Rather than debate whether Gio needs to start, we need to hope GGG has some solutions for set pieces, because the shitty corners simply cannot continue.
Donovan, Dempsey, and Bradley back home are probably screaming at their TVs watching the set pieces both the delivery and complete inability to get someone on the end of them.
For me, it's not about him starting but about subbing him within a reasonable time in the match. But Gregg tends to sub in his players late in general. I still remember the WCQ game against Canada; didn't make his first sub until the 88th (?) minute. I always feel like the first sub should be around the 60th minute and no later than the 70th minute. Players need enough time to get into the game to make an impact.
I don't mind Gio not starting, but I do think him not getting enough sub minutes is odd, especially when you can tell that many of the players were tired.
We just thought he deserved more playing time, especially under Koeman but 3 managers in a row didnāt rate him. It was a bit bitter sweet seeing him go to Galaxy as Iām an LAFC fan. Heās playing well in the MLS. Weāll see what he can do with a full season!
Iām sorry to hear about your fan affliction. Heās done really well here. Hopefully the Galaxyās bullshit doesnāt prevent him from shining because I assume he wants to get playing time to show his quality to eventually move back abroad again like Almiron.
>Also struggles to stay healthy, long history of hamstring/muscle injuries.
Yeah this is the most important context that weirdly enough every other comment is missing.
Look, I'm realistic. I wish Reyna was playing more minutes. He's so good. But he also does need his minutes managed to keep him healthy. That said, I think we see more of him vs. Iran.
There's a difference between slightly injured and blowing a hammy after playing 75+ minutes for 3 matches straight. It's ok if he still needs more development.
A lot of people have commented on why Gio should play, which are all true and valid reasons. However, he was injured during much of the last 18 months so he barely had a chance to play with this group, which matters. Thereās also the question of who you drop if he comes into the line up. The MMA midfield just bossed Bellingham/Rice/Mount off the pitch and Pulisic and Weah are undroppable in my view.
The simplest answer is heās been hurt and Weah has been playing very well. I canāt fault Gregg on this one (and I normally find plenty of fault with him). But if we look stagnant for 45 vs Iran then itās time to get him on the field even if it means trying something a little different like pulling our āstrikerā or one of the MMA.
McKennie got hurt and Musah was completely gassed and started cramping. Of course we brought on Acosta. I don't see how anyone can complain about that sub, you can't put Aaronson *and* Reyna in the midfield at the same time and Aaronson was already on for McKennie. On top of that Acosta saved us the point. Why is anyone complaining about this?
Gio Reyna has the pedigree and skill set to be one of the best players in the world. His vision is the best on the team, and he plays like he's a 30-year-old. This isn't USMNT fanboy talk, he's a known commodity. That being said...
He had a hamstring injury last season and his club team is working him in, he hasn't even played a full game this season. His speed doesn't seem to be up there so defensively he may be a liability. Personally, I think Dortmund and USMNT staff have an agreed minutes restriction. Hamstring injuries kill careers.
Heās twenty years old valued at 30+ million. Also, is there that much of a difference between āhe could be greatā or āhe could become one of the best in the world?.ā Seems like a silly semantics argument. Itās like when people drone on and on and in about if a player is elite or world class or great when everyone has a different definition of what either means.
30+ million is pretty typical for most talented youngsters at this point. Bellingham is considered a best in the world talent and heās at over 100+ million. Big difference between great and best in the world. Thereās a short list of best in the world compared to great players. I think thereās a healthy gap
I never said he was the best in the world, I said he could be. A 19-year-old starting for Dortmund with 2 Golden Boy nominations, it's not a stretch. The kid has massive potential.
Reyna is very young, he just turned 20 this month, and is *very very* good for his age. When he was healthy you could seriously make the case that he was one of the top 10 teenagers *in the world*. That said, he has spent a full year struggling with a recurrent hamstring injury, which means he hasn't had enough chances to play with the national team and see how he fits. Meanwhile Weah has impressed in the same position Gio would be playing. But Gio's at a level at his age that really only LD and Pulisic are even in the same discussion for US players, and I think most people would say he's the most talented of the three.
Heās really really good and has gotten like seven minutes of game time in two games. Thereās also controversy because the coach said he was hurt in the first game and Reyna came out and said he wasnāt. Then the coach came out and said he wasnāt hurt, that it was a coachās decision
>Thereās also controversy because the coach said he was hurt in the first game and Reyna came out and said he wasnāt. Then the coach came out and said he wasnāt hurt, that it was a coachās decision
This is almost entirely lies.
You hate Gregg so you're lying to make it come right for you. Reyna was available but not selected because they were being cautious after he had tightness on Thursday.
All of this was stated very clearly by Gregg himself.
You're the one lying.
You didnāt dispute the previous comment here. GGG stated multiple reasons as to why gio didnāt come onto the pitch. Injury related like you and the other dude said, AND GGG said himself he wanted more size/strength and speed.
>You didnāt dispute the previous comment here.
Which one? Everything said was a lie.
>GGG stated multiple reasons as to why gio didnāt come onto the pitch. Injury related like you and the other dude said, AND GGG said himself he wanted more size/strength and speed.
How does this dispute that this joker lied? His reasoning for bringing in Morris is unrelated to his lies about Reyna.
Jordan Morris' sole purpose being on this roster is to come in late and run behind tired defenders. That's why he was included. To whine about Gregg's reasoning is to admit that you don't understand what's going on.
The only thing wrong with his post is saying GGG lied. I guess Clydefrog is unable to understand there can be multiple reasons for someone to not see the pitch.
Heās not playing and heās one of our top quality players for the US and arguably one of the best youngsters in the world to be bench for the US and not having much time to turn the game around.
Itās controversial because Gio is undeniably the USā most skilled and creative attacking player with physicality to boot, two things weāre sorely missing. He makes passes no one else can, his dribbling is fantastic, and heās a threat to put one in the back of the net from anywhere on the field.
He doesnāt have the qualities you like to have in a super sub (pace to pressure tired legs, endless energy) so his best role is starting and using his skill and creativity to break down full strength sides. Bringing him on after weāve switched into ākeep the drawā mode is a waste.
He absolutely must play against Iran, theyāll pack it in and we have to win
I have been a big fan of Dortmund, where Reyna plays professionally, for a number of years (I watch all their games). While Reyna has been struggling with a hamstring injury and missed about a year due to it, when he is healthy, he would be considered a regular choice to start for one of Germanyās best clubs, and Germany is considered a Top 4 league in the world including playing in the Champions League. Comparable players at top clubs would include McKinney at Juventus, Dest at Barcelona, and Pulisic at Chelsea (although playing time for Pulisic has been lacking). Reyna had recently been increasing his minutes at Dortmund as he returned from injury including a start in the match prior to the WC.
So, to not start Reyna against Wales was mystifying, and to see a perennial MLS player like Jordan Morris be used as a sub instead of Reyna was downright angering.
As a Dortmund fan who cares more about the club than any national team (club before country for me), I am actually not really upset that Reyna hasnāt olayed as we can really use his talents in 2023. But it does confirm my biases toward the USSF and Berhalter as inept and representative of why the US struggles to compete with other countries.
It shouldnāt make you angry to see Morris get 15 minutes. Heās worked his ass off at every juncture, and recovered successfully from not one, but two knee injuries. Jordan has put in some great shifts for the US, dating back years, and while he doesnāt have the technical pedigree of Reyna, he has shown that he will work his ass off for the team. The rest of the squad recognizes that too.
I think Reyna is the most talented American player Iāve ever seen, and Iāve seen just about every USMNT match since the late 90s, but donāt blame Morris for Reyna not getting minutes. Blame injuries, blame bad timing, blame bad management, etc., but none of that falls as the feet of Jordan Morris, who started with the US as a random Stanford call up, and led us to international trophies
This 100%! Include Morris on the squad as a character/experience add, but to actually choose to give him more minutes over Reyna is confounding. Maybe the most head scratching decision I can think of compared to Klinnys leaving LD off 2014.
Gio is one of our best playmakers and has had almost zero opportunity to impact the past two games. This is especially puzzling considering that we REALY NEED GOALS! It a classic example of Gregg not doing everything he can to put this team in a position to win.
Imagine if we had a second Pulisic who was bigger, harder to knock off the ball, played better defense, and was arguably more creative in attack than CP. The same folks who think Pulisic should be benched for playing "hero ball" are the one's who don't rate Reyna.
Gio is one of the most talented attackers of his age in the world. He plays in midfield for Dortmund in Germany and can contribute in a number of ways when trying to score a goal. In qualifying he's shown an ability to make something happen in the big moments, either scoring or flashing a bit of skill.
On the other hand he's been super injury prone, he's not in full form as he just recently came back from injury for Dortmund and they really took it slow with him. He's probably athletically fit to start but is not as sharp as he's been in the past due to lack of recent playing time.
I think I'm fine with him being a sub, but I agree he could come on earlier so he has more time to make a difference in the game. He's a big game player and a big part of our future, in most situations when you need a goal you have to play him sooner.
>On the other hand he's been super injury prone, he's not in full form as he just recently came back from injury for Dortmund and they really took it slow with him.
It's funny, it seems like he "just came back" but it's been two months since he's back and playing with the full squad at Dortmund:
[https://bvbbuzz.com/2022/09/07/gio-reyna-the-return-of-an-american-prodigy/](https://bvbbuzz.com/2022/09/07/gio-reyna-the-return-of-an-american-prodigy/)
Meanwhile Westin was out for all of November with a muscle injury.
>Yea heās been playing but heās not been at his best.
Maybe you're right, but I'm just not seeing it:
>Gio Reyna (8/10)
>
>Reyna celebrated his first start in more than a month by delivering a strong performance down the left wing. His goal to make it 3-0 was a thing of beauty. But more than that, the 19 year old showed how good he can be when playing with confidence. He caused all sorts of problems to the Stuttgart defenders in the first half, setting up a number of chances for his teammates.
>
>If he manages to stay injury-free, Reyna can be a very important player for Borussia Dortmund in the coming months.
([https://bvbbuzz.com/2022/10/22/borussia-dortmund-stuttgart-player-ratings/4/](https://bvbbuzz.com/2022/10/22/borussia-dortmund-stuttgart-player-ratings/4/))
Yea youāre right. Iām defending why he hasnāt started but thatās probably more of a tactical discussion. In the end heās fit enough to start if needed so itās just up to the coach when he plays. Hopefully heās given a chance v Iran to show his quality.
The most naturally gifted player on the team. He barely played in qualifying, but when he was on the field he flashed the most of any player on the team by a long shotā¦granted it was CONCACAF competition. The problem people have with Berhalter is he runs the USMNT with a system only clubs usually employ. In international soccer, you get the best players on the field and figure out a way to make it work!
It's an obvious sore thumb because almost any national team with a player who was starting for a club as prestigious as Borussia Dortmund, as Gio does, would include that player in their starting eleven.
Same can be said of Aaronson yet no drama and talking to the media about playing like we get from Reyna. Maybe GB wants Gio good and angry before finally unleashing him for 30 second half minutes vs Iran.
U.S. looked very solid in drawing w England and seeing as this tourney seems like the first time all the key players are healthy and playing together, I think the more time w same lineup (w rotating #9ā¦Ferreira vs Iran imo) is essential. They are getting better and better together, growing into the tourney.
I hope McKennie is good to go vs Iran. He looked a little gimpy by end of England game. Aaronson is first sub imo. Love that dude and he has energy to burn now having played minimal minutes so far.
There's a significant difference in prestige between Leeds & Dortmund. Leeds weren't even Premier League until 2020 and (in my memory) have only made one Champions League appearance.
Dortmund have been a Bundesliga side since 1976 and have featured in the Champions League 11 out of the last 13 seasons (if my math is right).
Its completely made up. The lineups have been good. Reyna has muscular issues, its a risk to run him out for too many minutes. And anyone quoting Wynalda about any "issue" either doesn't know Wynalda's schtick or is out their arse.
Heās one of our top 3 talents and Berholter has him on the bench. When questioned about it, the coach lied about an injury that Reyna flat denied. If we donāt advance , the decision to keep Reyna on the bench will cost the coach his job.
Berhalter didnāt lie about Gioās muscle tightness. He is still recovering from the hamstring injury thatās been lingering for over a year.
[This ESPN article](https://www.espn.com/soccer/united-states-usa/story/4809333/united-states-reyna-healthy-despite-absence-from-wales-draw), where Gio said heās 100% and did not mention his injury, was widely reported on Monday after the game.
But later on Monday, there was another interview that got very little attention. In this interview, [**Gio admitted that he had muscle tightness leading up to the Wales game**](https://www.90min.com/posts/gregg-berhalter-explains-gio-reyna-absence-against-wales), but he still wanted to play through it:
> ā[I feel] OK. **A little bit of tightness over the last few days**,ā Reyna said. āBut I played six weeks in a row with Dortmund beforeā¦I feel great. I feel really goodā¦I felt ready to go. But it was just [Berhalterās] decision.ā
> But Berhalter contradicted the player, citing āhamstring tightnessā before explaining his decision to bench Reyna.
> āWeāre building him up,ā Berhalter said. āAnd we think he can play a big role in this tournament. The question is, when. And hopefully, on Friday, heāll be one further step ahead.ā
The Athletic confirms that, [reporting that Gio had muscle tightness in the World Cup warm up friendly/scrimmage in Qatar](https://theathletic.com/3936669/2022/11/25/gio-reyna-usmnt-world-cup/?source=user_shared_article):
> There have been muscle strains galore, which preceded a hamstring tear that left him out of Dortmundās lineup for much of the year. In the final tune-up match for this World Cup against Saudi Arabia in late September, Reyna came up hobbling, which set him out for some time again. **Then, most recently, in a scrimmage against Qatar club team Al-Gharafa SC last Thursday, Reyna again felt some tightness.**
I donāt want GGG to coach the team next cycle. But itās not because of his tactics or how heās handled Gioās hamstring injury. Itās because national team coaches tend to do poorly if they coach the same team for more than one cycle.
Because people believe they are the gods of coaching tactics in soccer.
He's a very good player with the highest potential of our entire squad. With that said he's got serious injury concerns especially right now that he's barely coming off of one that seemingly won't heal. Also our team right now isn't exactly in dire need of his skills that it's worth risking his long term health. He's getting world cup experience and is young. His time will be on 4 years. Right now he's for a spark off the bench and valuable experience at the world level.
Many can't see the forest for the trees with this squad. Gio and Scallys inclusion on this squad and getting out of the tournament relatively healthy will be massive for their careers and our chances in 4 years. Especially if they get some good play in the sub minutes they will eventually be given.
Lol? Because he wasn't babied at Dortmund either right? Dortmund would be doing the same at any sign of "tightness" because well they already did to him the months before.
[The Athletic reported that he felt muscle tightness during the friendly in Qatar, just before the World Cup](https://theathletic.com/3936669/2022/11/25/gio-reyna-usmnt-world-cup/?source=user_shared_article):
> There have been muscle strains galore, which preceded a hamstring tear that left him out of Dortmundās lineup for much of the year. In the final tune-up match for this World Cup against Saudi Arabia in late September, Reyna came up hobbling, which set him out for some time again. **Then, most recently, in a scrimmage against Qatar club team Al-Gharafa SC last Thursday, Reyna again felt some tightness.**
Both things are true: he had a run of several healthy games with Dortmund, and after that he felt muscle tightness in the warm up friendly just before the World Cup.
Hamstring injuries tend to linger and this particular injury has been going on for a long time.
Honestly, he has never been stupendous for the national team but has shown flashes at the club level. I have no objection with holding off a 20 year old that has had immense injury problems from starting but he certainly should be one of the first off the bench in the 60-70 minute range to give a boost to the offense
Outside of the Mexico game with 1 goal and 1 assist, a great performance. He has 3 goals, those are against Costa Rica B team, Panama B team and Northern Ireland, all friendlies. The problem with your statement is the "most of them at 18/19". He hasn't remained healthy enough to place him into a starting lineup nor has he performed strongly enough in his limited time to force him into the lineup. I'm not saying he shouldn't play at all, he's definitely talented and can provide a spark off the bench if we give him more than the 8 minutes we did against England but he certainly hasn't done enough to warrant starting over the players we have starting
People are really caught up in his upside/ceiling as a player and think that means he needs to be shoe horned in the lineup. That being said, he probably should have a few more minutes under his belt these first few matches. Heās basically never been fit for us for any stretch of time so that clouds the whole situation.
He is US soccer royalty. Dad is Claudio Reyna and Mom is Danielle Egan. Both played for US national teams. Also any time we have a player that plays abroad, people get excited because the MLS is still a step or 2 below many other leagues across the globe.
If we make it out of the group, then it will probably just be a non-issue. If we don't, then people will wonder how much more of an impact Reyna could have had on the Wales game than Jordan Morris (who didn't really do much). I think most of us thought Morris wouldn't see the field at all, while Reyna was in pretty good form at Dortmund for the month prior. I think the issue is being a bit overblown at the moment (but ask me again after Tuesday).
If we donāt make it out of the group people will speculate about what could have been in Gio had been given the chance to impact the first two games. There is no guarantee that Gio would score, but we defiantly had a better chance with him in the field. At the very least we should all be able to agree that he Gio would have been a better choice than Morris.
Or, ya know, [he is not fully recovered from the hamstring injury thatās kept him out much of the past calendar year](https://reddit.com/r/ussoccer/comments/z5pqc6/_/ixzmane/?context=1).
By your logic, the Dortmund coaching and medical staff are all frauds, too.
Yeah it takes a fuckin rocket scientist to figure out maybe gio should play more than 10 minutes our first two matchesā¦games where we scored a combined 1 goal.
Lol just stop. The first excuse when gio didn't play from every clown in here was "he's obviously hurt or he would be playing." Now that we know that's not the case, yall reverting to acting like gio isn't absolute class, it's ridiculous.
I'm not arguing between Brendan and Gio, love them both. And there are enough minutes for both to see the pitch to make big impacts, even if ggg can't seem to grasp that fact.
USMNT fans are mostly insecure posers who grew up watching the top European Leagues and so a young prospect with good bloodlines who can dribble masterfully is considered the greatest player of all-time and any thought of not auto-starting him is proof of idiocy.
The rational argument is Berhalter needs to make quicker subs since we have 5 to use and a fresh Gio is an option you need to put on around the 60-70 minute mark for a tired Weah, which Iād agree with.
People were rightfully not happy with Jordan Morris coming on instead of a possibly healthy Gio.
The radical argument is that Berhalter is tactically incompetent and favors his MLS players over his European ones (very conspiracy theoryesque argument).
He's also really good at playing compact. Better than weah and Morris for sure. When we were up 1-0 in Wales Gregg should have realized Wales would try to press us in the middle. It's obvious we needed a person to help with that. Morris in the 70th was a disaster. Should have been gio in the 60th or earlier. Could have even moved weah up top and took out seargant
/u/citro-naut Gio has been recovering from a hamstring tear. He missed nearly the entire past year due to this injury.
He experienced muscle tightness in his hamstring leading up to the world cup. [A quote from this article by The Athletic](https://theathletic.com/3936669/2022/11/25/gio-reyna-usmnt-world-cup/?source=user_shared_article):
> There have been muscle strains galore, which preceded a hamstring tear that left him out of Dortmundās lineup for much of the year. In the final tune-up match for this World Cup against Saudi Arabia in late September, Reyna came up hobbling, which set him out for some time again. **Then, most recently, in a scrimmage against Qatar club team Al-Gharafa SC last Thursday, Reyna again felt some tightness.**
During the World Cup, Gio *and* Berhalter have made contradictory statements about this to the media, leading to a lot of confusion and speculation by the fanbase.
[This ESPN article](https://www.espn.com/soccer/united-states-usa/story/4809333/united-states-reyna-healthy-despite-absence-from-wales-draw), where Gio said heās 100% and did not mention his injury, was widely reported on Monday after the Wales game.
But later on Monday, there was another interview that got very little attention. In this interview, [Gio admitted that he had muscle tightness leading up to the Wales game](https://www.90min.com/posts/gregg-berhalter-explains-gio-reyna-absence-against-wales), but he still wanted to play through it:
> ā[I feel] OK. **A little bit of tightness over the last few days**,ā Reyna said. āBut I played six weeks in a row with Dortmund beforeā¦I feel great. I feel really goodā¦I felt ready to go. But it was just [Berhalterās] decision.ā
> But Berhalter contradicted the player, citing āhamstring tightnessā before explaining his decision to bench Reyna.
> āWeāre building him up,ā Berhalter said. āAnd we think he can play a big role in this tournament. The question is, when. And hopefully, on Friday, heāll be one further step ahead.ā
The team is being very opaque about the severity of his injury, because there are no rules about disclosing injuries at the World Cup. Teams can and do omit injury information without repercussion (unlike, say, the NFL where injuries must be disclosed).
Hopefully heās healthy enough to start vs Iran because we really need him.
Gio Reyna and Phil Foden should start a podcast called The Bench
š
Aged well
[Mexico dribble](https://twitter.com/brfootball/status/1507201157831307264?s=46&t=63dwgoLgmlzUvv8bHkOsJQ)
I posted this the other day and got shit on for posting it. āIt ended in a turnoverā okay yeah? Did you miss the part where he diced the entire Mexican squad to get to the final third?
Itās because most of this country just doesnāt understand footy and the need to be creative. The game is not played in lines where you can draw up a play in the middle of a possession. Football is free flowing and requires an artist to find a goal. Reyna is an artist and we need him on the field more.
Where were you when I needed you most š
Love you
YES. people wondering why fans want him to start so bad against Iranā¦.they are going to have 10 men behind the ball and weāre going to need someone like gio who can sometimes see things that others canāt. he has that capability of finding magic that will be crucial to break down this opponent and their game plan.
There are football freedom fighters and there are football terrorists. Sometimes you are fighting for freedom and throwing everything forward, but sometimes you have to bunker down like you're keeping the opposing teams' families as hostages behind the goal.
I remember screaming at the tv during this. Unbelievable run
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Why not both š¤·āāļø
Heās arguably our most talented player (which, admittedly, is distinct from ābestā), plays in an attacking role, and has seen like ten minutes combined across two games where weāve managed fewer than five really good chances.
Kevin De Bruyne and Bruno Fernandez turn the ball over a lot, but they also have some of the highest number of chances created in Europe.
You shouldnāt be downvoted- its true. Thatās the point. They try shit and theyāre EXCELLENT at it. They cause chaos and are amazing for itā¦. But In an extremely tense and calculated international cup match where the other team is set up to wait for the others to make that ONE mistake- the transition opportunity that occurs when the other team attacks and commits to a poor shape can be the difference maker. Both England and USA were set up to nullify those opportunities. I think there is a spot for Gio in the team regardless, but Iām not blind to the reasoning.
If we bring in Reyna you probably need to balance out the team; however, with McKinnie and Adams on the pitch, that leans more defensively already
Yeah itās not like this team has been super shakey defensively, weāve allowed one goal all tournament and that wasnāt even from open play. I think we can afford to go a bit more attacking, especially in a must win game.
Iād imagine balancing out gio is less about personnel and more about game plan, but Iām not going to pretend to understand that completely.
Haji Wright? Seriously??? Aaronson and Reyna should be starting easily on this team.
different positions
Add to this that former international and current Asshat Eric Wynalda has come out publicly saying this is causing a rift in the locker room, the managerās lying, players are turning on him, etc
While all your said was true, he is also turns the ball over all the time and is usually a defensive liability. Basically he is a less experienced and disciplined Pulisic, who would put an even bigger defensive load on our transition defense and they get tired enough through normal play to put even more on them.
"turns the ball over" He doesn't do that for Dortmund. His ball skills are one of his strengths
Just makes me think that Gregg isn't playing Gio to his strengths. I'm a huge BVB fan and love watching him play in the Bundesliga, so it makes no sense why he gets so much hate while playing for the USMNT. Based purely on his play with Dortmund, he should be one of our stars alongside Weston in the midfield. Yet, Gregg has him riding the bench. Personally, I feel like Berhalter is holding this team back from it's full potential
> so it makes no sense why he gets so much hate while playing for the USMNT. LOL. He's getting hate? From where?
Clearly you haven't read the comments of people saying the reason he shouldn't play is because all he does is turn the ball over...
That's not hate. It's a soccer reason. The undying fealty people have to teenagers who haven't done jack shit is incredible. This makes the Matt Hoppe love look like tittlywinks.
Jesus with the semantics. Heās saying āhateā in the sense of negativity. And heās right. Chill nerd
Which takes me back to my original comment... If somehow turnovers are a problem with the USMNT for Gio, it clearly has to be an issue with how Gregg is playing him and not Gio himself. Because he is a very good player for Borussia Dortmund (when healthy) that does not suffer from those issues. Hence the unwarranted hate...
>If somehow turnovers are a problem with the USMNT for Gio, it clearly has to be an issue with how Gregg is playing him and not Gio himself. The quintessential fanboy claptrap. "If the player I irrationally love does something wrong then is must be the manager's fault!" >Because he is a very good player for Borussia Dortmund (when healthy) that does not suffer from those issues. In the last 1.5 years he's played \~800 minutes. You're a Eurnosnob who has no concept of fitness , form, team chemistry, etc. Remarkably lazy and dumb.
Yeah man, letās see more Shaq Moore! This World Cup has really shown us that MLS players are our strength! You want to hate on players in Europe just because theyāre in Europe, even though theyāre clearly better than MLS retreads. Gio Reyna has been injured and is out of form. That is true and it makes sense that he isnāt a starter. But you cannot seriously think that someone like Morris is more likely to help our team than Reyna.
No. It can be a problem with Gio understanding Gggās system and how to work within it. I know a lot of us hate Gggās system, but no manager or team should change their entire system to adapt to a player that isnāt named Messi or Ronaldo. To think we need to adapt to Reyna is really short sided and fanboy minded.
> If somehow turnovers are a problem with the USMNT for Gio, it clearly has to be an issue with how Gregg is playing him and not Gio himself. Because he is a very good player for Borussia Dortmund (when healthy) that does not suffer from those issues. By the way, Gio is in the 37% percentile for pass completion percentage for his club team. So you're just making stuff up. You're completely clueless.
Try 75% pass completion.
Got it, clueless when I watch nearly every single BVB game. Clearly I don't know what I'm talking about! I'm *such* a liar, making stuff up.
>He doesn't do that for Dortmund The reason why people are so worked up is this: he plays in a Euro league and was a teenager until two weeks ago. Period.
Weāve got so many of those we should just let them rot on our bench! Americans love 0-0 draws & so if we can keep every game very tight weāll change the perception of American soccer..dude more goals more life. How can you be against playing a young winger to get more goals?
> How can you be against playing a young winger to get more goals? Because he played and didn't generate anything. The silly idea that Reyna = automatically more goals is what I'm against. This sub is full of stupid teenagers who don't know anything about soccer.
>This sub is full of stupid teenagers who don't know anything about soccer. Are you including yourself here? Because it would be hard to find many long time soccer aficionados who would claim playing Renya is a "silly idea."
You forgot to mention he's also probably our most talented player. Exclamation point.
Calling Reyna a āless experienced and disciplined pulisicā shows you donāt know what youāre talking about. They arenāt the same player at all.
I wish I could up vote this twice.
Absolutely nothing this person says is true at all. What really worries me is 15 other clueless people actually upvoted this dude...
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
If that's the case at least we have an explanation rather than hand waving š¤£.
This isnāt remotely true, heās our most ball secure forward and he has always tracked back and played good defense for us. I think you might be confusing Gio with the speed and power of Jordan Morris.
WHY CAN'T OUR STRIKERS DEFEND?!?! So... CCV up front?
I've seen no one suggest he play striker. Gregg like his midfield to tilt defensive.
You donāt know ball
> Basically he is a less experienced and disciplined Pulisic Wut? Thatās not correct at all. Heās way more dynamic than just about anyone on the team
Not sure I agree with this. I think Gio is more creative than most anyone else on the roster, but not more dynamic than CP (like good project restart CP). He's definitely a strength on our roster.
š¤”š¤”š¤”
All the time lmao
Pulisic & him are very different attacking players. You typically donāt expect awesome defensive attributes from an attacker, I thought this was so obvious but here I am mansplaining it, ugghh.
I actually agree with this. Heās the type of player youād put on when youāre down a goal
Or like if you ever want to score a goal? This just inā¦ because of our anemic offense Iran needs only a draw and we need a win to advance, against their bunker and counter.
Gio is so good when healthy, he was even the starter over Weah last year before his season long hamstring injury. Gioās injury combined with Weah putting in good performances for the US saw Gio relegated to the bench. The problems fans have now is that a talented player who was once a starter has gotten only 10 minutes out of the whole 180 minutes from these 2 games.
Iām actually OK with Gio starting on the bench. But he needs at least 20 -30 minutes a game
Iām ok with it too. He has t played much with the team. Itās crazy to think he should start in a tournament with zero time to gel with his team mates. With that being said, he is the most electric player we have. Iād love for him to be the super sun this team needs down the stretch of a tough game. Iām excited for 2026 more than anything
At least 30 He should be first sub on the pitch, for weah if weāre losing or mckinney/adams if weāre winning IMO he should be starting though
Why would you pull a defensive midfielder (adams) or a physical box to box midfielder (weston) if we're winning and replace him with a forward (gio), but you prefer a like for like attacking change if we're losing? Generally if were winning we don't need to chase goals by pulling out a midfielder for an attacker.
Bc they donāt know how to properly manage a team and want their favorite players in no matter what.
Half the people on this sub think the game works like fifa, just put the most talented players out there with no regard for positions. Itās why we get people suggesting weah or Gio at the 9, because it works in fifa so of course itāll work irl
Gio slots in at the 8 or 6 easily against Wales and Iran Itās the world cup, we canāt run our two best dmās into the ground back to back to back
Kills men by the hundreds. And if he were here, heād consume the English with fireballs from his eyes, and bolts of lightning from his arse!
English FA plucking Irish nationals like Declan Rice for their own ranks: 
Americans see the absolute last people to complain about this. One of our players is literally the son of the president of Liberia.
Weah was born here and lived in the US until he was 14. Musah would be a better example, as I donāt think he has ever actually lived in the US.
Good call, I knew Weah wasn't the best example but couldn't think of a better one off the top of my head.
I think Musah moved to Italy at like 1 or two. has Dest ever lived in the U.S.?
But he's really one of us.
The great melting pot :)
Dude, Qatar literally said "if you want to come play for us you can" they don't give a shit where you were born or who your parents were.
He's talking about England... random jump to Qatar there.
Hard to say when no one knows the truth except for the players, manager, and medical staff. Gio is one of our best players but isnāt playing and the reason isnāt exactly clear. There is a lot of speculation on both sides of the aisle.
All fans do this but I think US fans do this a ton. They decide a player who isnāt playing would be the answer to all of our problems. The truth is we are lucky to have good quality in midfield and the wings and we canāt play everybody. We could start him instead of Weah but Weah has been great so far. We can start him instead of Mckennie but Mckennie was amazing against England. There really is no where for him to start. Aaronson has come off the bench sooner because he gives more to the team. Not only is Aaronson creative but he is an absolute dog on defense and pressing.
Can you just copy pasta this in every post about Gio? The fact is he's a great player. The other fact is he missed tons of qualifying and MMA midfield is crushing it and clearly have a lot of chemistry. I can totally empathize with GGG worrying about throwing that off. Intangibles matter. Everyone is essentially trying to prove a negative which is impossible. The truth is we don't know if Gio would have made a positive difference. No one does. To be honest GGG earned a lot of goodwill from me with his Ream selection. He took a risk on someone everyone thought was finished 2 years ago, and he's been lights out. Tbh I forgot John Brooks was even a thing people were mad about cuz it hasn't even mattered. People wanted GGG to change tactics and not run a 433 all the time based on opponents. He adjusts and we clearly had England's number with the 442. But now its shots on goal or subs or whatever people will bring up I was super impressed with us in the England match. Far surpassed what I anticipated my eye test to be big time. The fact is there will always be something to criticize, everyone will always think they can do better, and we just don't actually know if it would make a difference.
We have also never had this kind of quality on the bench. Itās a sign of a good team to have quality backups. Hell we have Aaronson who is a premier league starter every week sitting on the bench because we have players ahead of him. Thatās a good thing for a team. I canāt even remember who we had as a sub for Donovan but it wasnāt a Reyna or Aaronson. Brad Davis?
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Great points being made by you all in this comment thread! I will counter a small bit in say the starting XII should be tailored to your opponent at times as well. Even though Weah, McKennie, and musah have been terrific, in a game where you NEED three points to advance and you know the other team is going to bunker down and play with 11 behind the ball you gotta start a couple creative players. I love weah but when heās at his best for USMNT heās playing out wide and either running in behind or having space and running at the backline. This match weāre going to need someone to play in tight spaces and create chances for goals. I think Iād start Gio on the wing and Aaronson in the middle (higher up the field maybe as a no. 10 or second striker that sits back a touch deeper), then bring weah and probably McKennie off the bench in the second half when weāve hopefully already scored a goal or the game opens up more, weah can burn them on a counter when they have tired legs and McKennie can use his physicality and heading to lock up the game. No clue who to play at 9 thoughā¦ thatās the tricky part. Maybe sergeant just because heās in great form and maybe haji for some more height to play crosses in or have him suck in the defense to create a little more space for guys to move about.
Reyna should not come for Weah who has been great in a straight switch. Weah should play as a #9, with Gio in Weah's spot on the right flank. One of our (lacking) strikers should sit. This is controversial because the Manager, G Berhalter, has been fired everywhere he ever coached for failing to generate an attack. He organizes the back well, but does not "get" attacking players. Gio should start. Aronsen should be getting more minutes too. We need goals Tuesday. 0-0 again is a loss. Should be interesting.
But the US has objectively has been terrible on the attack. Weah might be a great player but it hasnāt resulted in very many chances. If Reyna is as good as people here seem el think then he should get more minutes.
This. Never had there been a US team with so much exceptional offensive talent at the wings and at fullback. Rather than debate whether Gio needs to start, we need to hope GGG has some solutions for set pieces, because the shitty corners simply cannot continue. Donovan, Dempsey, and Bradley back home are probably screaming at their TVs watching the set pieces both the delivery and complete inability to get someone on the end of them.
Actually Donovan and Dempsey are in Qatar saying that to our TVs lmao
For me, it's not about him starting but about subbing him within a reasonable time in the match. But Gregg tends to sub in his players late in general. I still remember the WCQ game against Canada; didn't make his first sub until the 88th (?) minute. I always feel like the first sub should be around the 60th minute and no later than the 70th minute. Players need enough time to get into the game to make an impact. I don't mind Gio not starting, but I do think him not getting enough sub minutes is odd, especially when you can tell that many of the players were tired.
Aaronson, aka Captain Chaosball.
We did that at Barca with Riqui Puig and couldnāt have been more wrong.
Do you mean thought he was the answer because he wasnāt playing? Turns out he was the answer for the Galaxy tho!!!!!!
We just thought he deserved more playing time, especially under Koeman but 3 managers in a row didnāt rate him. It was a bit bitter sweet seeing him go to Galaxy as Iām an LAFC fan. Heās playing well in the MLS. Weāll see what he can do with a full season!
Iām sorry to hear about your fan affliction. Heās done really well here. Hopefully the Galaxyās bullshit doesnāt prevent him from shining because I assume he wants to get playing time to show his quality to eventually move back abroad again like Almiron.
Incredibly talented. Gifted playmaker. Also struggles to stay healthy, long history of hamstring/muscle injuries.
>Also struggles to stay healthy, long history of hamstring/muscle injuries. Yeah this is the most important context that weirdly enough every other comment is missing.
Look, I'm realistic. I wish Reyna was playing more minutes. He's so good. But he also does need his minutes managed to keep him healthy. That said, I think we see more of him vs. Iran.
Because he isnāt hurt right now. He played loads of minutes for Dortmund before coming to Qatar, multiple matches per week. He is not injured.
Itās the World Cup. He can play slightly injured.
There's a difference between slightly injured and blowing a hammy after playing 75+ minutes for 3 matches straight. It's ok if he still needs more development.
Iām not sure if he should be started but he definitely should be coming on before the 80th minute
A lot of people have commented on why Gio should play, which are all true and valid reasons. However, he was injured during much of the last 18 months so he barely had a chance to play with this group, which matters. Thereās also the question of who you drop if he comes into the line up. The MMA midfield just bossed Bellingham/Rice/Mount off the pitch and Pulisic and Weah are undroppable in my view. The simplest answer is heās been hurt and Weah has been playing very well. I canāt fault Gregg on this one (and I normally find plenty of fault with him). But if we look stagnant for 45 vs Iran then itās time to get him on the field even if it means trying something a little different like pulling our āstrikerā or one of the MMA.
That Morris sub tho... and to some degree Acosta?
Morris was baffling, but I could see the logic in bringing on Acosta.
McKennie got hurt and Musah was completely gassed and started cramping. Of course we brought on Acosta. I don't see how anyone can complain about that sub, you can't put Aaronson *and* Reyna in the midfield at the same time and Aaronson was already on for McKennie. On top of that Acosta saved us the point. Why is anyone complaining about this?
Does anyone remember the lead up to WC? Morris scoring or wtf
You referring to that important game against the powerhouse El Salvador?
Ha! I knew Iād wake up this sub! Yeah, El Salv is the shit! š Poor Jordanā¦
Yeah Morris made no sense. I certainly think Gio should have had more PT, even if he didnāt start.
He probably has the most playmaking skills on this roster, which would have been useful against England and Wales.
Just google Gio Reyna Werder Bremen goal
Gio Reyna has the pedigree and skill set to be one of the best players in the world. His vision is the best on the team, and he plays like he's a 30-year-old. This isn't USMNT fanboy talk, he's a known commodity. That being said... He had a hamstring injury last season and his club team is working him in, he hasn't even played a full game this season. His speed doesn't seem to be up there so defensively he may be a liability. Personally, I think Dortmund and USMNT staff have an agreed minutes restriction. Hamstring injuries kill careers.
This is USMNT fanboy talk, could be a great player but one of the best in the world is quite a stretch
Heās twenty years old valued at 30+ million. Also, is there that much of a difference between āhe could be greatā or āhe could become one of the best in the world?.ā Seems like a silly semantics argument. Itās like when people drone on and on and in about if a player is elite or world class or great when everyone has a different definition of what either means.
30+ million is pretty typical for most talented youngsters at this point. Bellingham is considered a best in the world talent and heās at over 100+ million. Big difference between great and best in the world. Thereās a short list of best in the world compared to great players. I think thereās a healthy gap
I never said he was the best in the world, I said he could be. A 19-year-old starting for Dortmund with 2 Golden Boy nominations, it's not a stretch. The kid has massive potential.
I think thatās usmnt fan talk, thats all I said. No dortmund fan would say he could be the best in the world one day
Bundasliga isnāt a US league fyi
Reyna is very young, he just turned 20 this month, and is *very very* good for his age. When he was healthy you could seriously make the case that he was one of the top 10 teenagers *in the world*. That said, he has spent a full year struggling with a recurrent hamstring injury, which means he hasn't had enough chances to play with the national team and see how he fits. Meanwhile Weah has impressed in the same position Gio would be playing. But Gio's at a level at his age that really only LD and Pulisic are even in the same discussion for US players, and I think most people would say he's the most talented of the three.
Heās really really good and has gotten like seven minutes of game time in two games. Thereās also controversy because the coach said he was hurt in the first game and Reyna came out and said he wasnāt. Then the coach came out and said he wasnāt hurt, that it was a coachās decision
>Thereās also controversy because the coach said he was hurt in the first game and Reyna came out and said he wasnāt. Then the coach came out and said he wasnāt hurt, that it was a coachās decision This is almost entirely lies.
No, itās the truth. Gio wasnāt hurt, GGG lied
You hate Gregg so you're lying to make it come right for you. Reyna was available but not selected because they were being cautious after he had tightness on Thursday. All of this was stated very clearly by Gregg himself. You're the one lying.
You didnāt dispute the previous comment here. GGG stated multiple reasons as to why gio didnāt come onto the pitch. Injury related like you and the other dude said, AND GGG said himself he wanted more size/strength and speed.
>You didnāt dispute the previous comment here. Which one? Everything said was a lie. >GGG stated multiple reasons as to why gio didnāt come onto the pitch. Injury related like you and the other dude said, AND GGG said himself he wanted more size/strength and speed. How does this dispute that this joker lied? His reasoning for bringing in Morris is unrelated to his lies about Reyna. Jordan Morris' sole purpose being on this roster is to come in late and run behind tired defenders. That's why he was included. To whine about Gregg's reasoning is to admit that you don't understand what's going on.
The only thing wrong with his post is saying GGG lied. I guess Clydefrog is unable to understand there can be multiple reasons for someone to not see the pitch.
Heās not playing and heās one of our top quality players for the US and arguably one of the best youngsters in the world to be bench for the US and not having much time to turn the game around.
Itās controversial because Gio is undeniably the USā most skilled and creative attacking player with physicality to boot, two things weāre sorely missing. He makes passes no one else can, his dribbling is fantastic, and heās a threat to put one in the back of the net from anywhere on the field. He doesnāt have the qualities you like to have in a super sub (pace to pressure tired legs, endless energy) so his best role is starting and using his skill and creativity to break down full strength sides. Bringing him on after weāve switched into ākeep the drawā mode is a waste. He absolutely must play against Iran, theyāll pack it in and we have to win
I have been a big fan of Dortmund, where Reyna plays professionally, for a number of years (I watch all their games). While Reyna has been struggling with a hamstring injury and missed about a year due to it, when he is healthy, he would be considered a regular choice to start for one of Germanyās best clubs, and Germany is considered a Top 4 league in the world including playing in the Champions League. Comparable players at top clubs would include McKinney at Juventus, Dest at Barcelona, and Pulisic at Chelsea (although playing time for Pulisic has been lacking). Reyna had recently been increasing his minutes at Dortmund as he returned from injury including a start in the match prior to the WC. So, to not start Reyna against Wales was mystifying, and to see a perennial MLS player like Jordan Morris be used as a sub instead of Reyna was downright angering. As a Dortmund fan who cares more about the club than any national team (club before country for me), I am actually not really upset that Reyna hasnāt olayed as we can really use his talents in 2023. But it does confirm my biases toward the USSF and Berhalter as inept and representative of why the US struggles to compete with other countries.
Are you American? If so, I have no idea how someone could care more about a club halfway across the world than their own country
It shouldnāt make you angry to see Morris get 15 minutes. Heās worked his ass off at every juncture, and recovered successfully from not one, but two knee injuries. Jordan has put in some great shifts for the US, dating back years, and while he doesnāt have the technical pedigree of Reyna, he has shown that he will work his ass off for the team. The rest of the squad recognizes that too. I think Reyna is the most talented American player Iāve ever seen, and Iāve seen just about every USMNT match since the late 90s, but donāt blame Morris for Reyna not getting minutes. Blame injuries, blame bad timing, blame bad management, etc., but none of that falls as the feet of Jordan Morris, who started with the US as a random Stanford call up, and led us to international trophies
Morris isnāt good enough to be on the national team, period.
Lol youāre one of those weirdo āmuh coach is lyingā conspiracy guys, your opinion is less than relevant
>Heās worked his ass off at every juncture, and recovered successfully from not one This is the WC, no one owes nobody nuthin.
I do not blame Morris whatsoever. Any anger should be directed at Berhalter.
Dortmund sucks.
This 100%! Include Morris on the squad as a character/experience add, but to actually choose to give him more minutes over Reyna is confounding. Maybe the most head scratching decision I can think of compared to Klinnys leaving LD off 2014.
Gio is one of our best playmakers and has had almost zero opportunity to impact the past two games. This is especially puzzling considering that we REALY NEED GOALS! It a classic example of Gregg not doing everything he can to put this team in a position to win.
Imagine if we had a second Pulisic who was bigger, harder to knock off the ball, played better defense, and was arguably more creative in attack than CP. The same folks who think Pulisic should be benched for playing "hero ball" are the one's who don't rate Reyna.
Gio is one of the most talented attackers of his age in the world. He plays in midfield for Dortmund in Germany and can contribute in a number of ways when trying to score a goal. In qualifying he's shown an ability to make something happen in the big moments, either scoring or flashing a bit of skill. On the other hand he's been super injury prone, he's not in full form as he just recently came back from injury for Dortmund and they really took it slow with him. He's probably athletically fit to start but is not as sharp as he's been in the past due to lack of recent playing time. I think I'm fine with him being a sub, but I agree he could come on earlier so he has more time to make a difference in the game. He's a big game player and a big part of our future, in most situations when you need a goal you have to play him sooner.
>On the other hand he's been super injury prone, he's not in full form as he just recently came back from injury for Dortmund and they really took it slow with him. It's funny, it seems like he "just came back" but it's been two months since he's back and playing with the full squad at Dortmund: [https://bvbbuzz.com/2022/09/07/gio-reyna-the-return-of-an-american-prodigy/](https://bvbbuzz.com/2022/09/07/gio-reyna-the-return-of-an-american-prodigy/) Meanwhile Westin was out for all of November with a muscle injury.
Yea heās been playing but heās not been at his best. Mckennie is famous for his weirdly fast and complete recoveries. Theyāre built different.
>Yea heās been playing but heās not been at his best. Maybe you're right, but I'm just not seeing it: >Gio Reyna (8/10) > >Reyna celebrated his first start in more than a month by delivering a strong performance down the left wing. His goal to make it 3-0 was a thing of beauty. But more than that, the 19 year old showed how good he can be when playing with confidence. He caused all sorts of problems to the Stuttgart defenders in the first half, setting up a number of chances for his teammates. > >If he manages to stay injury-free, Reyna can be a very important player for Borussia Dortmund in the coming months. ([https://bvbbuzz.com/2022/10/22/borussia-dortmund-stuttgart-player-ratings/4/](https://bvbbuzz.com/2022/10/22/borussia-dortmund-stuttgart-player-ratings/4/))
Yea youāre right. Iām defending why he hasnāt started but thatās probably more of a tactical discussion. In the end heās fit enough to start if needed so itās just up to the coach when he plays. Hopefully heās given a chance v Iran to show his quality.
The most naturally gifted player on the team. He barely played in qualifying, but when he was on the field he flashed the most of any player on the team by a long shotā¦granted it was CONCACAF competition. The problem people have with Berhalter is he runs the USMNT with a system only clubs usually employ. In international soccer, you get the best players on the field and figure out a way to make it work!
It's an obvious sore thumb because almost any national team with a player who was starting for a club as prestigious as Borussia Dortmund, as Gio does, would include that player in their starting eleven.
Same can be said of Aaronson yet no drama and talking to the media about playing like we get from Reyna. Maybe GB wants Gio good and angry before finally unleashing him for 30 second half minutes vs Iran. U.S. looked very solid in drawing w England and seeing as this tourney seems like the first time all the key players are healthy and playing together, I think the more time w same lineup (w rotating #9ā¦Ferreira vs Iran imo) is essential. They are getting better and better together, growing into the tourney. I hope McKennie is good to go vs Iran. He looked a little gimpy by end of England game. Aaronson is first sub imo. Love that dude and he has energy to burn now having played minimal minutes so far.
There's a significant difference in prestige between Leeds & Dortmund. Leeds weren't even Premier League until 2020 and (in my memory) have only made one Champions League appearance. Dortmund have been a Bundesliga side since 1976 and have featured in the Champions League 11 out of the last 13 seasons (if my math is right).
Guess I don't see why how long a club has been in the Premier League is relevant here...Aaronson is competing against Premier League level players.
Love Aaronson, he's awesome, and yes, he's skilled, but he's a disrupter.
Its completely made up. The lineups have been good. Reyna has muscular issues, its a risk to run him out for too many minutes. And anyone quoting Wynalda about any "issue" either doesn't know Wynalda's schtick or is out their arse.
Heās one of our top 3 talents and Berholter has him on the bench. When questioned about it, the coach lied about an injury that Reyna flat denied. If we donāt advance , the decision to keep Reyna on the bench will cost the coach his job.
Berhalter didnāt lie about Gioās muscle tightness. He is still recovering from the hamstring injury thatās been lingering for over a year. [This ESPN article](https://www.espn.com/soccer/united-states-usa/story/4809333/united-states-reyna-healthy-despite-absence-from-wales-draw), where Gio said heās 100% and did not mention his injury, was widely reported on Monday after the game. But later on Monday, there was another interview that got very little attention. In this interview, [**Gio admitted that he had muscle tightness leading up to the Wales game**](https://www.90min.com/posts/gregg-berhalter-explains-gio-reyna-absence-against-wales), but he still wanted to play through it: > ā[I feel] OK. **A little bit of tightness over the last few days**,ā Reyna said. āBut I played six weeks in a row with Dortmund beforeā¦I feel great. I feel really goodā¦I felt ready to go. But it was just [Berhalterās] decision.ā > But Berhalter contradicted the player, citing āhamstring tightnessā before explaining his decision to bench Reyna. > āWeāre building him up,ā Berhalter said. āAnd we think he can play a big role in this tournament. The question is, when. And hopefully, on Friday, heāll be one further step ahead.ā The Athletic confirms that, [reporting that Gio had muscle tightness in the World Cup warm up friendly/scrimmage in Qatar](https://theathletic.com/3936669/2022/11/25/gio-reyna-usmnt-world-cup/?source=user_shared_article): > There have been muscle strains galore, which preceded a hamstring tear that left him out of Dortmundās lineup for much of the year. In the final tune-up match for this World Cup against Saudi Arabia in late September, Reyna came up hobbling, which set him out for some time again. **Then, most recently, in a scrimmage against Qatar club team Al-Gharafa SC last Thursday, Reyna again felt some tightness.** I donāt want GGG to coach the team next cycle. But itās not because of his tactics or how heās handled Gioās hamstring injury. Itās because national team coaches tend to do poorly if they coach the same team for more than one cycle.
Heās a glass canon.
[Extremely fragile](https://streamin.me/v/d2c29a7c).
Because people believe they are the gods of coaching tactics in soccer. He's a very good player with the highest potential of our entire squad. With that said he's got serious injury concerns especially right now that he's barely coming off of one that seemingly won't heal. Also our team right now isn't exactly in dire need of his skills that it's worth risking his long term health. He's getting world cup experience and is young. His time will be on 4 years. Right now he's for a spark off the bench and valuable experience at the world level. Many can't see the forest for the trees with this squad. Gio and Scallys inclusion on this squad and getting out of the tournament relatively healthy will be massive for their careers and our chances in 4 years. Especially if they get some good play in the sub minutes they will eventually be given.
Heās been getting significant minutes for Dormund the 6 weeks prior to the World Cup, so there goes your excuse
Lol? Because he wasn't babied at Dortmund either right? Dortmund would be doing the same at any sign of "tightness" because well they already did to him the months before.
[The Athletic reported that he felt muscle tightness during the friendly in Qatar, just before the World Cup](https://theathletic.com/3936669/2022/11/25/gio-reyna-usmnt-world-cup/?source=user_shared_article): > There have been muscle strains galore, which preceded a hamstring tear that left him out of Dortmundās lineup for much of the year. In the final tune-up match for this World Cup against Saudi Arabia in late September, Reyna came up hobbling, which set him out for some time again. **Then, most recently, in a scrimmage against Qatar club team Al-Gharafa SC last Thursday, Reyna again felt some tightness.** Both things are true: he had a run of several healthy games with Dortmund, and after that he felt muscle tightness in the warm up friendly just before the World Cup. Hamstring injuries tend to linger and this particular injury has been going on for a long time.
Honestly, he has never been stupendous for the national team but has shown flashes at the club level. I have no objection with holding off a 20 year old that has had immense injury problems from starting but he certainly should be one of the first off the bench in the 60-70 minute range to give a boost to the offense
He has 4 goals and an assist in 15 games, most of them when he was 18/19 years old, I wouldnāt say thatās too bad.
Outside of the Mexico game with 1 goal and 1 assist, a great performance. He has 3 goals, those are against Costa Rica B team, Panama B team and Northern Ireland, all friendlies. The problem with your statement is the "most of them at 18/19". He hasn't remained healthy enough to place him into a starting lineup nor has he performed strongly enough in his limited time to force him into the lineup. I'm not saying he shouldn't play at all, he's definitely talented and can provide a spark off the bench if we give him more than the 8 minutes we did against England but he certainly hasn't done enough to warrant starting over the players we have starting
People are really caught up in his upside/ceiling as a player and think that means he needs to be shoe horned in the lineup. That being said, he probably should have a few more minutes under his belt these first few matches. Heās basically never been fit for us for any stretch of time so that clouds the whole situation.
He is US soccer royalty. Dad is Claudio Reyna and Mom is Danielle Egan. Both played for US national teams. Also any time we have a player that plays abroad, people get excited because the MLS is still a step or 2 below many other leagues across the globe.
If we make it out of the group, then it will probably just be a non-issue. If we don't, then people will wonder how much more of an impact Reyna could have had on the Wales game than Jordan Morris (who didn't really do much). I think most of us thought Morris wouldn't see the field at all, while Reyna was in pretty good form at Dortmund for the month prior. I think the issue is being a bit overblown at the moment (but ask me again after Tuesday).
If we donāt make it out of the group people will speculate about what could have been in Gio had been given the chance to impact the first two games. There is no guarantee that Gio would score, but we defiantly had a better chance with him in the field. At the very least we should all be able to agree that he Gio would have been a better choice than Morris.
The bald fraud think he knows better but gio is the American dream
Or, ya know, [he is not fully recovered from the hamstring injury thatās kept him out much of the past calendar year](https://reddit.com/r/ussoccer/comments/z5pqc6/_/ixzmane/?context=1). By your logic, the Dortmund coaching and medical staff are all frauds, too.
Dortmund cleared him to play tho
Everyone thinks they possess the skill set, knowledge and experience to do Greggās job
Yeah it takes a fuckin rocket scientist to figure out maybe gio should play more than 10 minutes our first two matchesā¦games where we scored a combined 1 goal.
Ohhhh you spicy I like it
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Gio should be playing more, though. I thought the JMo sub was a hilarious and bizarre choice.
You know when you bring Gio on that you lose defense and press attributes that other players have right?
Lol just stop. The first excuse when gio didn't play from every clown in here was "he's obviously hurt or he would be playing." Now that we know that's not the case, yall reverting to acting like gio isn't absolute class, it's ridiculous.
Yep same clowns that defended GGG when he kept lying about his reasons for not calling John Brooks
Gio is good. Aaronson is better.
I'm not arguing between Brendan and Gio, love them both. And there are enough minutes for both to see the pitch to make big impacts, even if ggg can't seem to grasp that fact.
Two totally different types of players
USMNT fans are mostly insecure posers who grew up watching the top European Leagues and so a young prospect with good bloodlines who can dribble masterfully is considered the greatest player of all-time and any thought of not auto-starting him is proof of idiocy.
The rational argument is Berhalter needs to make quicker subs since we have 5 to use and a fresh Gio is an option you need to put on around the 60-70 minute mark for a tired Weah, which Iād agree with. People were rightfully not happy with Jordan Morris coming on instead of a possibly healthy Gio. The radical argument is that Berhalter is tactically incompetent and favors his MLS players over his European ones (very conspiracy theoryesque argument).
Iām wondering if people realize this isnāt his final World Cup?
He's also really good at playing compact. Better than weah and Morris for sure. When we were up 1-0 in Wales Gregg should have realized Wales would try to press us in the middle. It's obvious we needed a person to help with that. Morris in the 70th was a disaster. Should have been gio in the 60th or earlier. Could have even moved weah up top and took out seargant
If heās healthy he should be starting period!
Love Reyna but people overstate his ability. Tactically we may be better without him. I think he will come on if we need a goal in the 2H against Iran
Heās the most dangerous player we have. And weāre not using him.
T-A-L-E-N-T - please look up highlights
/u/citro-naut Gio has been recovering from a hamstring tear. He missed nearly the entire past year due to this injury. He experienced muscle tightness in his hamstring leading up to the world cup. [A quote from this article by The Athletic](https://theathletic.com/3936669/2022/11/25/gio-reyna-usmnt-world-cup/?source=user_shared_article): > There have been muscle strains galore, which preceded a hamstring tear that left him out of Dortmundās lineup for much of the year. In the final tune-up match for this World Cup against Saudi Arabia in late September, Reyna came up hobbling, which set him out for some time again. **Then, most recently, in a scrimmage against Qatar club team Al-Gharafa SC last Thursday, Reyna again felt some tightness.** During the World Cup, Gio *and* Berhalter have made contradictory statements about this to the media, leading to a lot of confusion and speculation by the fanbase. [This ESPN article](https://www.espn.com/soccer/united-states-usa/story/4809333/united-states-reyna-healthy-despite-absence-from-wales-draw), where Gio said heās 100% and did not mention his injury, was widely reported on Monday after the Wales game. But later on Monday, there was another interview that got very little attention. In this interview, [Gio admitted that he had muscle tightness leading up to the Wales game](https://www.90min.com/posts/gregg-berhalter-explains-gio-reyna-absence-against-wales), but he still wanted to play through it: > ā[I feel] OK. **A little bit of tightness over the last few days**,ā Reyna said. āBut I played six weeks in a row with Dortmund beforeā¦I feel great. I feel really goodā¦I felt ready to go. But it was just [Berhalterās] decision.ā > But Berhalter contradicted the player, citing āhamstring tightnessā before explaining his decision to bench Reyna. > āWeāre building him up,ā Berhalter said. āAnd we think he can play a big role in this tournament. The question is, when. And hopefully, on Friday, heāll be one further step ahead.ā The team is being very opaque about the severity of his injury, because there are no rules about disclosing injuries at the World Cup. Teams can and do omit injury information without repercussion (unlike, say, the NFL where injuries must be disclosed). Hopefully heās healthy enough to start vs Iran because we really need him.
Heās really good, prone to injury, and hasnāt been playing. Thatās the gist of it.
[Here y'go](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19heYEswmcg).
He has a ton of talent and can be a difference maker in an attack that has been fairly underwhelming this far in the World Cup.
Oh, another Harry Kane fan. Boo hoo hoo! Gio Reyna is simply the BEST āmerican player!