Gio Reyna is ready to write his own history in the USMNT’s rivalry with Mexico

The young star with a legendary last name is back from a long injury absence, just in time for the crucial final games of World Cup qualifying.

Gio Reyna, the son of U.S. soccer legend Claudio Reyna, was out injured from early September until late February.Read moreRick Bowmer / AP

by Jonathan Tannenwald

Published Mar. 22, 2022, 7:09 p.m. ET

It seems hard to believe that Gio Reyna hasn’t played for the U.S. men’s soccer team since its first game of this World Cup qualifying cycle back in September.

It seems harder to believe that it’s only been 6½months since then, and that the U.S. is about to play the last three of 14 qualifying games in that span. Qualifying campaigns usually run for a year and a half, not half a year.

But as with the rest of our world these days, soccer brings everything all at once. With the final stretch of qualifiers starting Thursday at archrival Mexico (10 p.m., CBS Sports Network, Univision 65, TUDN, Paramount+). there’s little time for Reyna to reflect on having just one full 90-minute run for his club team, Germany’s Borussia Dortmund, since coming back from a muscle injury in February

And with stars Weston McKennie, Brenden Aaronson and Sergiño Dest all out injured, the U.S. team needs as much from Reyna as he can give.

“I’ve built up a lot of strength over the last the last two months or three months, so I’m pretty confident my body at the moment,” Reyna said Tuesday on a Zoom call with reporters from the U.S. team’s training camp in Houston. “It was great to get 90 minutes before coming into camp. It gave me a huge boost of confidence, knowing that I can do it now.”

That doesn’t mean he will, though. Reyna conceded that he “still probably needs a few more weeks until I’m 100% fit in terms of running and 90 minutes [of game time] consistently,” and he’s already had conversations with U.S. manager Gregg Berhalter about getting the workload right.

“There’s definitely going to be time management in this camp,” Reyna said. “We’ll figure it out as it goes along in terms of what we need, and what games maybe it’s better to come in [as a sub] or start.”

Ready to be flexible

Reyna’s main position is the right wing in U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter’s 4-3-3 formation, and normally he’s No. 1 on the depth chart there. But with McKennie out, Berhalter could move Reyna to one of the central midfield positions. Reyna has played there plenty before, and Berhalter has other winger options in Paul Arriola, Tim Weah and Jordan Morris.

“I’d feel perfectly comfortable playing there [in the middle],” Reyna said. “Obviously Weston does a lot for the team, but I can try to fill his shoes if I need to, if I’m asked. And I’m sure there’s other guys that are capable of doing it too.”

There are lots of people Reyna can turn to for advice on how to handle the challenge of playing at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca, the king of all North American soccer venues. From its 7,200-foot altitude to its raucous atmosphere — not to mention the talent of Mexico’s players — there are lots of reasons why the U.S. has never won a World Cup qualifier on Mexican soil.

Arriola, Morris and Christian Pulisic are among the players on this U.S. squad who played in the Americans’ last qualifier at the Azteca, a 1-1 tie in 2017. They and others who’ve played there before will surely have plenty to say this week.

“We don’t have the ability to play at altitude every day, so I think it has an effect on everyone unless you’re playing there and training there consistently,” said midfielder Tyler Adams, who played at the Azteca with a U.S. youth team a few years ago. “You have to get through the first 10, 15, 20 minutes of the game for your body to catch your breath and be able to adapt. But I think it’s more a mental thing than anything — you just have to grind it out.”

A special name

There’s one other resource Gio has, and it’s a pretty special one. Say the last name “Reyna” to longtime American soccer fans, and the conversation doesn’t start with Gio. It starts with his father, Claudio, a U.S. legend who played 112 times for the men’s national team. (And Gio’s mother, Danielle, played six games for the U.S. women’s team in 1993.)

What memories does Gio have of Claudio’s great feats for their country?

“I think my dad retired from the national team when I was only [age] three or four,” Gio answered.

The ensuing shiver among the listening journalists was felt all the way down to the thirty-somethings.

“But no, he’s told me about it,” Gio continued. “I understand, I’ve heard it from guys here, I’ve obviously watched many games in Azteca. … It’s always a really good test for us, it’s always a really entertaining game for the fans and for the world.”