Gio Reyna returns to the starting XI after five months
The United States men’s national team ace has left injury nightmares behind and made his first start in the UEFA Champions League this campaign.
After an injury-plagued season, Gio Reyna is officially back and just in time to reach peak form for the FIFA World Cup. The United States international made his second appearance in the UEFA Champions League and his first as a starter in the 2-1 defeat against Manchester City at Etihad stadium on Wednesday night.
Gio Reyna is gaining the trust of Borussia Dortmund’s manager Edin Terzic after he became the first American to give two assists in the Champions League opener against FC Copenhagen last week. The 19-year-old accompanied Anthony Modeste and Marco Reus in the attacking trio and had a dominant performance against the Premier League side.
Terzic decided to replace the American when Dortmund was winning 1-0 in the 62nd minute despite being one of the best players on the field. A decision that backfired and worked in favor of Bundesliga because 18 minutes later John Stones scored a screamer to equalize the game. Four minutes later Erling Haaland used the outside of his boot with an acrobatic finish to give Manchester City the 2-1 win and the three points.
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Single-matchday record for the USMNT
This was a historic matchday for the United States men’s national team in the UEFA Champions League. Nine Americans played in Europe’s most important club competition this week, between Tuesday and Wednesday, setting a single-matchday record. Carter-Vickers, Timmy Chandler, Josh Cohen, Sergiño Dest, Weston McKennie, Christian Pulisic, Gio Reyna, James Sands and Malik Tillman saw minutes on matchday 2 of the competition.