[ad_1]
The wait is lastly over. After weeks of negotiations between Borussia Dortmund and different golf equipment, most notably Serie A facet Parma, Gio Reyna is staying within the Bundesliga, having joined Borussia Mönchengladbach on Saturday.
And the transfer hasn’t arrived a second too quickly. The 22-year-old is in determined want of a recent begin, suffering from accidents and inconsistency up to now 4 seasons, a sequence of occasions that has dramatically restricted his alternatives for each membership and nation.
Will remaining in Germany assist Reyna revive his profession for the U.S. males’s nationwide staff? Do Gladbach have a plan in place to maintain the previous prodigy match and firing? ESPN analysts within the U.S. and Germany unpack Reyna’s switch to Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Will Reyna get the minutes to make the World Cup?
Initially: Reyna must get on the sector.
With Dortmund, the American earned simply 342 minutes within the earlier Bundesliga season, and when together with the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League, that complete quantity is a meager tally of solely 614 minutes in complete for the younger attacking midfielder. For reference, USMNT captain Christian Pulisic earned 3,119 minutes final season in each competitions for AC Milan.
Now as the most recent Gladbach addition, this represents a recent begin for a participant like Reyna. Nonetheless simply 22 and never turning 23 till November, the ceiling stays excessive for what many — or a minimum of many two to 3 years in the past — thought-about to be probably the most gifted performed within the U.S. participant pool. Technically gifted and with a watch for brief distribution and agile dribbles into the ultimate third, Reyna is an unfinished product that might nonetheless step up.
Clearly, although, nothing is assured with the nationwide staff.
Have been USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino to make a World Cup roster if it began at this time, Reyna can be a uncertain call-up when contemplating his lack of minutes. Not the wunderkind of the previous, the son of former U.S. captain Claudio Reyna has but to comply with by with the lofty expectations that had been as soon as thrust upon him.
It wasn’t straightforward for the younger participant to go away Dortmund, he himself said that the membership “formed me in methods I will always remember, each on and off the sector” on Instagram over the weekend, noting simply how troublesome it was to go away the staff he had been at since 16 years of age.
Nonetheless, Reyna is on the surface trying in at Pochettino’s USMNT. If there was ever an indication of the coach not making any compromises for any of his gamers, Pulisic’s absence over the summer season was a transparent indicator of the Argentine not having a lot endurance for gamers who aren’t totally dedicated or prepared for his undertaking forward of 2026.
Reyna has sufficient uncooked materials below his belt to re-enter the dialog because of what might be a superlative membership season with Gladbach, however in fact, that is all on paper. Earlier than presumably starring for the U.S. subsequent summer season, earlier than regaining his standing as the subsequent up-and-coming title for the Stars and Stripes, he’ll first must get on that discipline for Gladbach — and on a constant foundation. — Cesar Hernandez
Reyna could be Gladbach’s Swiss Military knife
Gladbach had been seeking to reinforce their assault after transferring Alassane Pléa to PSV Eindhoven in July. What satisfied Roland Virkus, Borussia’s managing director for sport, to push his chips in for Reyna is the American’s versatility.
Mönchengladbach’s switch finances is restricted, that means they should get probably the most for his or her cash. Virkus and supervisor Gerardo Seoane imagine they will use Reyna on each wings in addition to in the midst of the pitch. The thought is to plug in Reyna the place he’s wanted most whereas not essentially blocking the trail of 16-year-old Wael Mohya, a extremely gifted attacker.
Gladbach began their Bundesliga marketing campaign on Sunday once they confronted Hamburg SV at Borussia Park. Seoane employed a 4-2-3-1, with Kevin Stöger because the No. 10 behind striker Haris Tabakovic. Identical to final season, Robin Hack and Franck Honorat performed on the wings. In all probability, Reyna would compete with Stöger, however he is also a substitute for Hack and Honorat.
One other indisputable fact that made Mönchengladbach’s resolution makers hopeful is said to Reyna’s age. As a result of he made his debut at 17 and has already been by loads, Reyna appears older than he actually is. He has performed lower than 4,000 minutes within the Bundesliga to this point.
“He loved a meteoric rise at BVB at first of his profession, culminating within the cup triumph in 2021,” mentioned Dortmund’s sporting director Sebastian Kehl. “Sadly, his improvement in latest seasons has not gone as we had all hoped.”
Reyna made 26 appearances for Dortmund final season however solely averaged 24 minutes per look.
Accidents have often derailed Reyna’s progress. He has missed roughly 84 aggressive video games, U.S. nationwide staff video games included, up to now 4 years. Mönchengladbach haven’t got a particular plan to maintain Reyna on the pitch; they merely hope that given his youth, he may flip a nook and keep able to play for a change.
Absolutely, a change of surroundings may help him, a minimum of mentally. The truth that Reyna strikes for a small switch payment of €4 million, which may rise to €7 million if sure bonuses are triggered, exhibits how a lot his inventory has fallen in latest occasions. At one level, a payment within the eight digits would have been sensible.
At Mönchengladbach, Reyna will put on No. 13. One other former No. 13 for the membership was Lars Stindl, who grew to become one thing of a membership legend. Stindl’s largest benefit was not solely his soccer IQ however his versatility inside Borussia’s assault. Nobody at Mönchengladbach is saying that Reyna might be the subsequent Stindl, however there’s some wishful pondering that he may a minimum of comply with Stindl’s path and have become that Swiss Military knife-type of midfielder that’s all the time helpful.
Reyna will be a part of his good friend, worldwide teammate and former New York Metropolis FC academy colleague Joe Scally. Collectively, the 2 will seemingly do all the pieces of their energy to play their approach into a spot on the 2026 World Cup. — Constantin Eckner
[ad_2]