Has Gio Reyna Earned the Right to Be a USMNT Starter?

Gio Reyna is finally where he needs to be, and the 23-year-old could become a core piece of the U.S. men’s national team’s next era. 

After years of limited minutes and opportunities with Bundesliga sides Borussia Dortmund and Borussia Mönchengladbach as well as a fruitless loan spell at Nottingham Forest, the USMNT midfielder has finally carved himself out a consistent role for Ligue 1’s Racing Strasbourg. 

At the same time, he’s become a beloved favorite of USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino, inspiring a shocking career rise to the 2026 World Cup after it seemed his time in the national team jersey might be coming to an end. 

With solid footing for club and country, the next chapter of his career awaits. The USMNT has never had more depth in midfield than it does now, but Reyna has begun to prove himself as an integral part of the mix. The question looms: Where does he fit?

“It’s pretty simple: just keep building on what I’ve been doing,” Reyna told GOAL of his rise, following the USMNT’s four wins in four games in the September-October international window. “Keep showing up every day, training, recovering, doing everything I need to prepare mentally and physically for every training and game. I feel good, though, and I’m feeling more confident every time I step on the pitch.”

Pochettino’s ‘Special’ Player Is ‘Back to His Best’

Ahead of the 2026 World Cup, even as Reyna struggled for club minutes, Pochettino hailed the midfielder as a “very special talent.” Despite harboring a greater emphasis on club form, Pochettino made an exception for Reyna, calling him up for pre-tournament friendlies against Belgium and Portugal in March.

While Reyna and the USMNT struggled in those two defeats, it became clear that Pochettino saw the then-Bundesliga man in a different echelon than others in the player pool. He included Reyna in his World Cup squad, where the young star served as an important off-the-bench reinforcement and even scored in the tournament opener against Paraguay.

Since then, his two goals in seven games with Strasbourg have offered a glimpse into the potential Pochettino saw all along. He most recently scored against reigning UEFA Champions League winners, Paris Saint-Germain, on Saturday, punishing the European champions with a skillful turn and finish inside the box to open the game’s scoring.

His rise has only been further evidenced by the veteran role he played in the fall international window. Reyna was the only USMNT player to start all four victories, playing among an otherwise heavily rotated, youth-driven lineup.

While speaking to former USMNT attacker Herculez Gomez, one of Reyna’s former USMNT teammates, Kellyn Acosta, said Reyna was “back to his best” and believes he can be an “important figure” for the USMNT moving forward. 

“He’s a player that is so talented, with his natural ability,” Acosta exclaimed. “Gio has been through a lot of hardships, and he's come out of it. Now we're seeing a guy that's playing consistently with his club, and now he's back with the national team doing what he does best.”

Acosta added: “He sees the game a bit differently than most. He glides. He's clever. Has a bit of an edge to him too ... He's a guy that checks all the boxes, and he's an important figure for our team.”

Finding a Place for Reyna

The recent international window gave a strong indication regarding where Pochettino sees Reyna in the plans—likely as a No. 10. Nevertheless, he will need to outperform several other USMNT stars for that position. 

In a 4-2-3-1, Reyna played as the creative playmaker in wins against Peru and Chile, where the USMNT controlled the game throughout. It’s a similar role to what he has taken on at Strasbourg, and it lets him slow the game down to showcase his individual skills, rather than relying on more physical elements. He was highly successful, recording an assist in each friendly.

Although against tougher opponents Canada and Mexico, Reyna struggled to make a similar impact as a deep-lying midfielder or on the wing. 

His main competition for the No. 10 spot will be Malik Tillman, who excelled in all four friendlies. The Bayer Leverkusen man first impressed as the No. 10 at the World Cup and is expected to claim that position as a starter moving forward. The 24-year-old can seamlessly shift wide or take on a deeper role—two positions of strength in the USMNT player pool, whereas Reyna has comparatively struggled to adjust from the No. 10.

Most importantly, though, Reyna is finally where he needs to be: playing consistent soccer. He will continue to grow and develop throughout these increased opportunities and will be well-positioned to a stake a claim in the USMNT’s burgeoning midfield. Next up, he will have the chance to prove himself in November’s Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals against Haiti.