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USMNT's Gio Reyna 'looks really sharp' ahead of meeting with Germany
Asked directly if Gio Reyna would start Saturday's high-profile exhibition match against Germany (kickoff at 3:07 p.m. ET) in East Hartford, Connecticut, U.S. men's national team coach Gregg Berhalter declined to tip his hand.
But there's little question that Reyna, who was at the center of a post-2022 World Cup storm that nearly prevented Berhalter from being rehired as the Americans' manager for the 2026 World Cup cycle, will have a role to play in the game despite having logged just 26 minutes for German club Borussia Dortmund since suffering a leg fracture in June.
"Gio's done a great job this week in training," Berhalter said Friday morning during his pre-match news conference before the U.S. squad trained at Rentschler Field. "He looks really sharp, really strong. You can see his quality. And for us, it's about, how do we build him up same way we have other players in the squad and get the most out of him for him to help the team the most, and for him to return to Dortmund in really good shape?"
How exactly Berhalter and Reyna have begun the process of repairing their fraught relationship in their first USMNT camp together since last winter's drama is a topic of much intrigue for both the U.S. media and the national team's fan base. Reyna was not made available to reporters in the lead-up to Saturday's contest. Berhalter, for his part, had little interest in discussing the pair's off-field dynamic on Friday.
"I know that's going to be on people's mind," Berhalter said. "What I would say is that we're moving forward. I'm not really wanting to talk too much about the past. I think it's about talking about the future."
The immediate future revolves around Saturday's rare meeting with the four-time world champs. But simply playing Germany isn't enough for a U.S. team whose own stated goal is to use the 2026 World Cup on home soil as an opportunity to "change soccer in America forever." For the U.S. players to become household names in their own country, these are the sorts of matches that they must use to prove they're worthy.
"Eventually we're going to have to learn how to beat the top teams. It's gonna have to happen if we're going to be successful at the World Cup," Berhalter said.
"That's why we play this game. We play these games to win," he continued. "That's what we're going to be focused on. I think big picture-wise, for the coaching staff, it's also about the process and how we go about doing it and how, for us, it's really important that we play our game and win and not just win the game."
If the hosts are to emerge victorious on Saturday, Reyna may have to play a significant role — whether that's from the beginning or off the bench. But there's also the question of where the 20-year-old attacker is deployed.
"Whether Gio starts as a winger, whether you play him as a central midfielder, whether we play him in a 4-3-3 [as an] attacking midfielder — a lot of things to consider," Berhalter said. "We have options."
After all, the process of reintegrating Reyna into Berhalter's squad has only just begun. "We're all aware of his game time in these last months," Berhalter said. "We want to put him in a good position [so] when he goes back he can get on the field, make an impact for Dortmund."
Doug McIntyre is a soccer writer for FOX Sports. Before joining FOX Sports in 2021, he was a staff writer with ESPN and Yahoo Sports and he has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams at multiple FIFA World Cups. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.
