Borussia Dortmund star Gio Reyna played a vital role in the U.S. men's nation team Nations League triumph over Canada, playing in a position more suited to his strengths as an attacking midfielder to propel the Stars and Stripes to the trophy.
After featuring for just 52 minutes at the 2022 World Cup primarily as a winger, Gio Reyna finally got his chance to show what he can do in a position that he excels in - an attacking midfielder. Reyna pulled the strings in the Stars and Stripes victories over Mexico and Canada, leaving fans wondering why he hasn't been playing there more often.
While Reyna was excellent in the semifinal against Mexico, he was even better in the final against Canada, notching two assists before being forced off at halftime due to injury.
USMNT interim head coach B.J. Callaghan, who will remain in charge through the Gold Cup before Gregg Berhalter returns permanently, had nothing but praise for the 20-year-old and knows he can bring those kind of performances on a consistent basis.
"Gio's performance tonight is a performance that you expect," said Callaghan. "It shows his quality on the field, his ball security, his ability to take on two, three players and connect passes. What I'm really proud of him is we've challenged Gio to do more work off the ball on the defensive side, and he's absolutely risen to the occasion."
It will be interesting to see what the future holds for the USMNT and Reyna given the turmoil that surrounded the team after their 2022 World Cup exit. Berhalter cannot afford to leave Reyna out of the side if the U.S. are to progress ahead of next summer's Copa America and the 2026 World Cup that will be hosted in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
The returning manager has since agreed his relationship with Reyna "needs attention," before committing to work on it for the sake of the USMNT.
"I'm just super proud of the group," Callaghan concluded. "We've been faced with adversity. We've been faced with obstacles and challenges and it's only brought us all together. So my personal feelings, I'm absolutely elated for all of the guys, all of the staff, everyone that just continues to put so much into this.
"To have those two performances is just a way for us to show the country and the world how committed and collected we are. There's something special happening with this team."
Callaghan will now have his sights set on the Gold Cup without key players like Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Reyna as they will prepare for their upcoming club seasons abroad. USA will kick off their Gold Cup campaign on June 24 when they take on Jamaica in group stage play.
This article was originally published on 90min as B.J. Callaghan hails Gio Reyna after "special" performances from USMNT .