Why USA star Gio Reyna has been DROPPED by Dortmund

Tom Weber

• 13 Mar 2023 11:16 CDT
• 4 min read

Despite several injuries to key players, Gio Reyna found himself yet again relegated to the bench as Dortmund saw their title hopes dwindle against Schalke. The American has only started once thus far in 2023.

With the scores level at two apiece on Saturday, Dortmund coach Edin Terzic brought on US men's national team attacker Gio Reyna. But with just ten minutes to play, the 20-year-old could not salvage the Black and Yellow's floundering title challenge, and many were left wondering why he wasn't brought on earlier.

At one point this season, it looked as though Reyna would really kick on and establish himself as a Bundesliga star. Scoring in three successive outings between late January and early February, the American won himself plenty of plaudits.

But not even two months later, the situation looks entirely different. Following those successful fixtures, the attacking midfielder did not even make the squad for the next three Bundesliga matches or indeed the first leg in the Champions League round of 16 against Chelsea.

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He was reinstated for the rematch versus the London side, which saw the Germans bow out of Europe's marquee competition, coming on as an early substitute for the injured Julian Brandt.

His 85 minutes on the pitch garnered mixed reactions. While USMNT fans were naturally quite bullish about Reyna's performance, German football expert and commentator Derek Rae noted that the prestigious magazine Kicker had given Reyna one of the lowest possible scores in their rating system.

Why doesn't he play?

Reyna made waves after the Qatar World Cup because of his public spat with USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter. The latter had refused to play him regularly, citing lacklustre performances.

Reyna's family reportedly took issue with Berhalter's handling of the situation and informed the federation of a 30-year-old case of domestic abuse involving the USMNT coach and his wife. Berhalter publicly acknowledged the allegations.

But there are no reports coming out of Dortmund that would suggest that Reyna has an attitude problem. So why doesn't he play? It's a combination of fitness issues and poor form.

Overall, BVB coach Edin Terzic has handled the situation a bit more delicately than Berhalter did. Rather than blasting Reyna, he emphasised the need to be "patient and diligent."

Mentioning the youngster's struggles with injuries in the early parts of the season, Terzic made it clear that he is keen to avoid further knocks to the American prodigy. "Gio has repeatedly suffered setbacks," the coach told Ruhrnachrichten in early March.

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He did, however, also hint at some other issue, saying "he knows what we expect from him." And this is likely the crux of the problem: Reyna has not been able to consistently live up to expectations.

The upcoming CONCACAF Nations League fixtures could give him the chance to clear his head and play himself into form against lesser opposition before Dortmund travel to Munich for the Bundesliga's title decider on April 1.