Getty | Tom Hindle
May 27, 2026 07:14 +06:00
'You need to have a player like him' - USMNT boss Mauricio Pochettino backs Gio Reyna to make World Cup impact
G. Reyna | USA | M. Pochettino | Borussia Moenchengladbach
NEW YORK -- USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino backed Gio Reyna to contribute at the World Cup after naming the Borussia Monchengladbach attacking midfielder to his final squad for this summer’s tournament. Reyna has played sparingly for his club this season, but Pochettino made clear he expects to call on him in key moments in the weeks ahead.
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'He has the quality'
Reyna has featured just four times for the Argentine manager, but Pochettino outlined his intentions to have the midfielder function as a key piece for the U.S. this summer.
"He has the quality... I really trust him, and to give him the confidence," Pochettino said. "I don't say that he's going to play every game, but he can help, because he's a different kind of player, different talent. And I think, in all the roster, you need to have a player like him."
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'We need to trust the players that have experience'
His words come after a long saga in which Reyna's inclusion this summer was left up for debate. The attacking midfielder did not feature in a handful of squads, but returned to the fold in November 2025, and was named again in March.
"I think we need to trust the players that have experience, and I think that is really important. During our process, we challenged experienced players. Why? Because we wanted to get the best, we wanted to be competitive, we want to change this mindset. [Gio] can add different things to the team," he said.
Despite inconsistent playing time on both the club and national team level, Reyna overall has a strong record with the U.S. He has nine goals in 36 caps and helped the Americans lift three Nations League titles. He was named CONCACAF's Nations League Player of the Tournament in 2024.
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A high profile bust-up
Reyna was at the center of one of the messiest chapters in recent U.S. Soccer history after the 2022 World Cup, when it emerged that his attitude and effort in training had nearly led then-USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter to send him home from Qatar. The situation escalated after Berhalter discussed the incident publicly without naming Reyna, prompting Reyna’s parents to contact U.S. Soccer with information about a decades-old domestic violence incident involving Berhalter and his now-wife.
Berhalter, who now coaches the Chicago Fire, was later cleared to return to the USMNT, while Reyna eventually worked his way back into the squad. Reyna has since acknowledged that the 2022 World Cup was a learning experience.
Looking back on Qatar, he said the group was “very, very young” and “maybe a little bit inexperienced at the time,” while adding that he is now focused on doing “whatever I can to help the team,” whether that means starting, coming off the bench or supporting from the sideline.
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What's next?
The USMNT will open their 2026 World Cup campaign with three Group D matches across the United States. They will face Paraguay on June 12 at 9 p.m. ET, Australia on June 19 at 3 p.m. ET and Turkey on June 25 at 10 p.m. ET.