- Gio Reyna missed most of last season with injury but is now back playing, just in time for the World Cup.
- The USMNT star spoke to Insider about the tournament and his relationship with England's Jude Bellingham.
When Gio Reyna was forced off with a hamstring injury less than two minutes into Borussia Dortmund's Bundesliga match against Stuttgart last April, the young American sensation left the field in tears.
Having already missed the majority of the 2021-22 season because a series of injuries, the 19-year-old midfielder knew his latest knock would mean another lengthy spell on the sidelines. Walking down the tunnel at Stuttgart's Mercedes-Benz Arena alone, head in his hands – the moment felt like the lowest of his fledgling career.
"I got into a pretty dark space when the injury... happened," Reyna told Insider. "It was like my whole world flipped upside down in a matter of seconds."
It's why Reyna would spend the next four months not only going through intensive physical rehab, but also working with a psychologist.
"While everyone was enjoying their summer vacations and finishing out the season strong, I was back home for five or six hours of rehab each day, just working on myself, kind of putting everything else aside," he said. "In the times where I couldn't work physically on my body because of the injury, I worked to get stronger mentally."
At the time, Reyna admits he was apprehensive about seeing a psychologist – fearful that he would be looked upon, even by himself, as if something was "wrong" with him.
In hindsight, however, he sees it as a "blessing."
"Through the last year I've grown so much more mature, just understanding the sort of core principles of life and learning not to take the little things for granted," he said.
"I've been at my lowest point," he added. "Working on that side of the game has helped me so much already, and it's only going to help me go further and further."
Raised in the Ruhr
Reyna began his career as a youngster with New York City FC, but was snapped up by Dortmund at age 16, following in the footsteps of his countryman Christian Pulisic, who himself joined the German side at 16 in 2015.
Like Pulisic, it didn't take Reyna long to make an impact at the Westfalenstadion.
In January 2020, at 17 years and 66 days old, he became the youngest American ever to play in the Bundesliga, a record previously held by Pulisic. Just weeks later, he scored his first professional goal in a 2-3 defeat to Werder Bremen in the DFB-Pokal, becoming the competition's youngest ever scorer in the process. By the end of his breakthrough season at Dortmund, he'd played 18 times in all competitions.
The 2020-21 campaign saw the American youngster go from strength-to-strength. He became a Dortmund regular, playing 46 times in all competitions, scoring seven goals and producing eight assists, helping the BVB win the German Cup.
Injuries last season put a halt to his progress, but Reyna, who is the youngest ever player to reach 50 appearances in the Bundesliga, is now back playing and ready to kick on from where he left off.
"Dortmund has been great so far to start the season with the plan and being really cautious," he said. "For me, right now, it's just about being able to build up, obviously play well in the minutes I get now and make an impact.
"In a few weeks time is when I'll be ready to play every three or four days and ready to go. Then I'll be able to show what I can really do."
So far this term, Reyna, who recently became an ambassador for energy drink brand C4 Energy, has made 16 appearances for Dortmund, 10 of which have come from the bench. In his six starts, he has scored twice and produced two assists.
Both of his assists came in a 3-1 victory over FC Copenhagen in the UEFA Champions League. The second was the killer final pass in a typically slick move from Edin Terzić's side, finished off by 19-year-old English midfielder Jude Bellingham.
Reyna describes Bellingham, who has scored nine goals this season and is the most sought-after teenage talent in world soccer, as one of his "best friends" at Dortmund.
He says, however, that will change if they face each other at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar next month.
Reyna and Bellingham have been named in American and English squads, respectively, and the two nations will face off in Group B on November 25.
"We've already talked about it in the locker room here at Dortmund," said Reyna. "We're both pretty fiery personalities, both hot heads, so we've said that if we get into a fight in the game, it wouldn't be surprising at all.
"It's all love, and we have a great relationship on-and-off the field, but I'm sure he'd tell you the same thing, that when we play each other that day, there's definitely not going to be any love on that field until the final whistle blows."
Reyna also admits he plans on passing inside information about Bellingham on to USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter ahead of the match.
"I'll give all the input I can about him," he said. "You know, what I've learned about him, his strengths and weaknesses, which he doesn't have many of right now, to be honest."
The American Dream
This year's World Cup marks the USMNT's return to the world's biggest soccer tournament after it failed to qualify for Russia in 2018.
The tournament also marks the 20th anniversary the USMNT's run to the 2002 World Cup quarterfinals – its best finish at a World Cup since the inaugural tournament in 1930.
Current head coach Berhalter was part of the side, which included star names such as Landon Donovan, Brad Friedel, and DaMarcus Beasley.
Claudio Reyna – Gio's father and the former Rangers, Sunderland, and Manchester City midfielder – was the team's captain.
"I'm pretty sure we've never really spoken about it," Gio said when asked if he'd discussed the USMNT's historic run in South Korea and Japan with his father, who is now the now the sporting director of MLS side Austin FC.
"He was always a father that never really liked to talk about himself and his own career," he said. "It was always me asking for advice about his career."
Gio hopes he can go one better than his father and make it past the quarterfinals of a World Cup, if not in Qatar then at a later one, so he can have the "bragging rights" at the family dinner table.
"I just hope that I'm able to go further than him at one of the World Cups, I'm looking at definitely getting in at least three," he said with a smile on his face.
"Hopefully I can make it to a semifinal or something like that or just have a better run than he had."
Reaching the quarterfinals or further in Qatar will be a big ask for the USMNT.
Despite boasting a roster full of young and exciting talent, featuring many currently playing in European soccer's top leagues – including Reyna, Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams, Sergiño Dest, Weston McKennie, and Jesús Ferreira – the team struggled in qualifying, winning just seven of its 14 matches and beating Costa Rica to the third and final CONCACAF automatic qualification spot on only goal differential.
Berhalter's side has also been drawn into a tough group in Qatar. Aside from England, the US men will have to face high-flying Iran, which lost just three of its 18 qualifying matches, and Wales, which will be playing at its first World Cup since 1958.
Reyna missed all but four qualifying matches with injury but is now fit and ready for the challenge that lies ahead. Ferreira, who finished in the Top 3 in MLS scoring for the 2022 season with 18 goals, told Insider that having the Dortmund forward available in Qatar is a huge boost to the team.
"Gio is an incredible player and an important part of the team," he said. "It's been tough having him out for so long, but it's been great seeing him get back to full fitness.
"He's been playing at the highest level in Europe starting at such a young age, so having him back is a massive boost to this team. He's a technically gifted player and he makes every player around him better, which to me is the highest praise I can give someone."
Reyna himself believes the key to success for the USMNT in Qatar lies in it playing "without fear."
"It's going to be interesting," he said. "Maybe we lack a little bit of experience, but we can't really go in there with any fear.
"We just have to play our game and believe in each other and as a team. I think that that kind of recipe, with teamwork and no fear, can see us overcome any experience that we do lack.
"This is what I've dreamed of my whole life, representing my country and representing my family," he added. "It's going to be huge. I'm so excited for myself and for the country to be back in this tournament and for the whole team to be able to go through this experience together."