CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
USMNT stars to meet in Champions League round of 16
The Champions League round of 16 draw has some intriguing fixtures and one potentially involving US internationals.
The UEFA Champions League draw for the round of 16 took place earlier on Monday, with players from the USA national team once again set to play against each other. Gio Reyna could come up against US team-mates Sergiño Dest, Malik Tillman and Ricardo Pepi, who are currently part of the PSV squad that is top of the Eredivisie.
Borussia Dortmund will face Peter Bosz’s PSV side in one of the most evenly matched ties on paper. The Germans topped the ‘group of death’, involving PSG, Milan and Newcastle, while the Dutch side finished second in their group, below group winners Arsenal.
If Gio Reyna decides to leave Dortmund in the winter window, in search of more minutes in Europe, he would of course miss the last 16 clash between the sides.
Reyna against US team-mates
The draw once again paired Reyna against his national team team-mates. Last year Dortmund played against Chelsea, a side with USMNT forward Christian Pulisic, who only played in the second leg.
In 2020-21, the round of 16 also featured a match between players from Gregg Berhalter’s team. Timothy Weah, then of Lille, came up against Pulisic with Chelsea. The West London outfit won 4-2 on aggregate, with Pulisic scoring in both matches.
Four US players have qualified for the Champions League round of 16 with their respective teams and will be hoping to advance to the quarter-finals in 2024.