On The Rise: Gio Reyna of USA poised to break out in Qatar

MIAMI, Florida – The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar kicks off on Sunday with 32 teams in pursuit of lifting the trophy and proclaiming themselves world champions.

Each of the four Concacaf teams in the tournament have a player in their midst who is on the rise and has the make-up to be one of the game’s biggest stars in the years to come. For the United States, that player is Giovanni Reyna.

Reyna, who just turned 20 in the last week, has become a stalwart for his club side, Borussia Dortmund of Germany, where he became the youngest U.S. player to debut with the club’s first team at 17 years and 66 days.

He also set marks by becoming the youngest player to score in the German Cup, the third-youngest player to appear in a UEFA Champions League knockout round match and the second-youngest U.S. player to score in a Bundesliga match.

With the U.S. National Team, Reyna has already become a prolific contributor, scoring four goals and collecting one assist in 14 games.

In Concacaf World Cup Qualifying for Qatar 2022, Reyna played in four games for a total of 211 minutes and registered three shots.

It seems that the long-time rivals of the U.S., Mexico, bring out the best in Reyna. The attacking midfielder scored a crucial equalizer for the U.S. in the 2019-20 Concacaf Nations League Final against El Tricolor, ultimately helping the U.S. to a 3-2 extra time victory. For his efforts, Reyna was selected to the CNL Finals Best XI.

Reyna’s exploits with the U.S. Senior Men’s National Team were preceded by his achievements at the youth national team level. It started at the 2017 Concacaf Under-15 Championship in which he scored two goals in five games in a runner-up finish for the U.S.

Two years later, 2019 served as a big year for Reyna, who scored six goals in six games and earned Best XI honors in a runner-up finish for the U.S. at the Concacaf Men’s Under-17 Championship. That performance helped the U.S. qualify for the 2019 Under-17 Men’s World Cup in Brazil, where Reyna appeared in all three matches for the U.S.

The bloodlines to become a world soccer star are certainly there. Reyna has followed in the footsteps of his father, Claudio, who played for the U.S. at the 1989 Under-17 World Cup in Scotland and then in four Senior Men’s World Cups for the U.S. at USA 1994, France 1998, South Korea/Japan 2002 and Germany 2006.

At the international level, Reyna has already caught the attention of the Concacaf region and at Qatar 2022, he has the potential to showcase his talent to the entire world.