Gio Reyna came into the 2022 World Cup as a promising player for the United States, but his journey was marred by controversies involving his training practices and personal conflicts with the previous coach.

Now, as the next World Cup approaches, Reyna, aged 22, sees this as an opportunity to revitalize his career, which has been hindered by injuries. Reflecting on the incidents from 2022, he acknowledges that his responses were rooted in frustration but asserts that not all blame belongs to him or his family.

During an interview with The Associated Press, Reyna expressed his intent to prove himself to US coach Mauricio Pochettino this season while adjusted to his new team, Borussia Mönchengladbach. “I do obviously think about (the World Cup) pretty often as it’s somewhere where I need and want to be,” he said. “But I try to focus daily here, stay present here, work here every day, and hopefully believe everything will fall into place.”

Frustration at Qatar 2022

In the 2022 Qatar tournament, Reyna played only twice as a substitute, leading to comments from then-coach Gregg Berhalter who indicated that Reyna nearly faced dismissal for a perceived lack of effort during training.

Reyna’s parents, Claudio and Danielle, both former national team athletes themselves, pursued additional playtime for their son, reaching out to the US Soccer Federation concerning historical allegations against Berhalter.

Looking back, Reyna suggested a desire for a second chance, stating, “Maybe in certain ways, but I’m not just going to sort of sit here and take all the blame for something that was made out to be completely my fault, which I believe it wasn’t, and also my family’s, too.” He shared that his dissatisfaction stemmed primarily from minimal playing time, indicating, “I was just upset that, you know, I wasn’t really playing… I thought that I wanted to play at the World Cup and ultimately in the end, I didn’t do that.”

The Long Road Back

Reyna, eager to return to the national squad, acknowledges that joining Borussia Mönchengladbach has been a significant step toward that goal, especially with the company of friend and teammate, Joe Scally.

Struggling with a series of injuries throughout his career has prevented Reyna from establishing consistent game time, evidenced by his limited play with the U.S. national team and at Dortmund. He remarked, “Even coming off the bench for Gladbach is still better than what I was doing last season most of the time.” With limited upcoming opportunities for international matches, his focus remains on impressing with his current club.

Pochettino has made it clear that Reyna must demonstrate his ability to play well to gain another chance in the national team. Reyna expressed the importance of his performance and stated, “It’s all on me now.”

Learning from Injuries

Reyna’s journey has included at least eight injuries over the last five years, primarily related to muscle and tissue. He shared insights gained through these experiences, noting the importance of open communication with the club’s athletic coaches.

“What I’ve learned now is, after those one or two days where (there’s) obviously a lot of pain, a lot of downtime, down energy, you just have to get on with it. You have to kick on, you have to really just attack the rehab.”

With a new sense of responsibility, Reyna aims to fulfill his potential. He concluded, “I would love to look back in the future and say that it was a pivotal year, few years here, but talking is not really the way. You have to turn the talking into action.”