Gio Reyna's World Cup waiting game: Can he rewrite his USMNT story?

Does he think he has done enough to make the cut?

“If I say no, I am not backing myself, and then if I say yes, it's the arrogant answer, where I feel like I should be there,” Reyna said. “So it's a hard question to answer. … I love the staff. I love the players. I love the national team. Whatever happens happens. I’m really hoping and wanting to be there, to make an impact and achieve something great with the team, but the decision is out of my hands, and obviously just really hoping and waiting.”

Gio Reyna’s role remains uncertain, but his World Cup hopes are alive entering the final week before selections.

(NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Reyna — whose father Claudio was a member of four U.S. World Cup teams — is seeking his second World Cup selection. In 2022, at age 20, it did not go so well. Unhappiness with his limited role created friction with teammates and then-coach Gregg Berhalter, a messy rift that spilled into the public after the tournament and involved both his parents.

Reflecting on the 2022 team that finished second in group play behind England before losing to the Netherlands in the Round of 16, Reyna said, “Individually and collectively, we were all very, very young and maybe a little bit inexperienced at the time. It sort of just happened that we came up against the Holland team that was a little bit more experienced, a little bit better, a little bit more savvy with the game. In the end, it was almost too much for us. … I learned so much from that. Of course, I would want to play more in this upcoming tournament.”

Reyna and Berhalter mended some fences, clearing the midfielder’s return to the national team in October 2023. Under Pochettino, who replaced Berhalter a year later, Reyna made a profound impact in last November’s camp, starring against Paraguay.

But after falling out of favor at Mönchengladbach early this year, questions resurfaced about his national team viability.

Calling him a “special player” with the capacity to influence the game, Pochettino hasn’t given up on him. The March call-up was proof.

Upon his return to Germany, though, Reyna played just five minutes over the subsequent two matches. Since then, he has appeared in four consecutive games. On Saturday, his 32-minute stint during a 3-1 loss at Augsburg was his longest in 2026, and in stoppage time, he scored his first club goal in 16 months.

“In the end, [the goal] didn't matter too much,” he said. “But more than that, it just was good to get a good chunk of minutes and felt like I had a pretty good performance overall.”

Limited playing time does impact match fitness for any player, but, Reyna said, “I feel ready to play 90 minutes and feel I can give my max at this moment of time. So I guess you could say 100 percent. I feel very, very fit. I feel very sharp and all I really want to do is show it on the pitch.”

In 13th place on the 18-team circuit, Mönchengladbach will close the season Saturday against Hoffenheim. Then the waiting begins for Reyna and several others on the roster bubble.

Reyna said his goal is “finishing out strong this week, hopefully having another good performance that gives me the best chance to go to the [World Cup] team. And individually, it would be great to do something with the national team. The team means a lot to me.”