- - Gio Reyna jump-starts USMNT with early goal, sparks 2-1 victory over Paraguay in key World Cup tuneup

Steven GoffNovember 16, 2025 at 1:13 AM

0

Gio Reyna reemerged Saturday against Paraguay with his biggest USMNT showing in years. (Drew Hallowell via Getty Images)

CHESTER, Pa. — It had been more than 16 months since Gio Reyna last started for the U.S. national soccer team, but given his slide from prominence since the last World Cup, his presence in the lineup Saturday against Paraguay felt more like it had been years.

But there he was, stationed in central midfield when the opening whistle sounded in the third-to-last tuneup before Mauricio Pochettino selects the 26-man roster for next summer’s tournament in North America.

With Reyna’s U.S. outlook fading and his European club career stalled, Pochettino extended a lifeline. It took him less than four minutes to score and, near the end of a 75-minute performance brimming with confidence and comfort, he set up Folarin Balogun’s winner in the 2-1 victory at Subaru Park.

“It's [team] performances like this that can help everybody here,” said Reyna, who scored his first U.S. goal since March 2024. “But I want to have, more importantly, seven or eight good months [with his German club] and then I believe, if I keep performing like I did tonight, I'll have a good chance to make the [World Cup] team and have an impact there too.”

He certainly impressed his coach and teammates.

“So happy with him,” Pochettino said. “He showed why he started [and] the capacity to read the game and find the free space in between the lines. He was a nightmare for Paraguay.”

Goalkeeper Matt Freese added, “Boy, it's fun to play with him. You can just get him the ball and things will happen.”

Reyna might get another chance to prove himself Tuesday when the Americans, unbeaten in four straight, close their 2025 schedule in Tampa against Uruguay.

Reyna had not played for the U.S. team since the CONCACAF Nations League finals in March and hadn’t been in the starting lineup since July 2024 in Kansas City, Missouri — a loss to Uruguay that ended the Copa América campaign and Gregg Berhalter’s coaching tenure.

By then, Reyna and Berhalter were patching up their relationship following a rift during and after the 2022 World Cup that also involved Reyna’s parents. Berhalter’s departure offered a clean slate for Reyna, but because of injuries and a lack of playing time on the German club scene, his star continued to fade in U.S. circles.

Folarin Balogun's late goal was the difference as the USMNT beat Paraguay 2-1 in a friendly Saturday in Chester, Pennsylvania. (John Dorton/ISI Photos/USSF via Getty Images)

A summer move to Mönchengladbach from Borussia Dortmund has not helped his cause much. His only club start since March came in a Bundesliga match two months ago. Nevertheless, Pochettino last week called Reyna a “special player” and suggested he wasn’t about to give up on him.

Both in person and through his club activities, though, Reyna is running out of time to make an impression on Pochettino, who, after this camp, will gather the team in late March for reported friendlies against Portugal and Belgium in Atlanta. He’ll name the World Cup roster in May.

With several U.S. regulars missing this week, including Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Tim Weah, Saturday provided a prime opportunity for Reyna and others.

“Gio wanted to come into camp and do his thing, wanted to put the noise behind him, and I felt like he did that,” Balogun said. “It was a really strong performance in a difficult game.”

Reyna said the coaching staff has made him “feel valued, feel important, feel ready to go. When you feel better mentally, you can definitely play better on the field too. … Just have to keep working now. Pretty simple.”

The U.S. team — and Reyna in particular — got off to a brilliant start. With Paraguay unable to alleviate pressure following a corner kick, Arfsten took initiative by pushing toward the end line and crossing Reyna for a leaping 6-yard header that struck the underside of the crossbar and dropped behind the goal line. It was his ninth U.S. goal, and first since the 2024 Nations League final against Mexico in Arlington, Texas.

Gio, dude. pic.twitter.com/Acw387UIXp

— U.S. Soccer Men's National Team (@USMNT) November 15, 2025

Reyna moved ahead of his father, Claudio, on the U.S. career scoring list.

“I didn't even know how many goals I had, to be honest,” Gio said. “I was just happy to score, happy to be back. And I sent a few texts teasing him after the game, but he was happy for me.”

Paraguay answered in the 10th minute. Atlanta United's Miguel Almirón beat Joe Scally down the left flank and half-volleyed a cross into the 6-yard box. Alex Arce split center backs Miles Robinson and Tim Ream for a lunging header and his first international goal.

“We all agree we cannot concede this type of goal because [it was] so easy,” Pochettino said.

The match also featured the return of Scally, Reyna’s Mönchengladbach teammate who also had been omitted since March. Scally’s start at right back allowed Sergiño Dest to move onto the wing, where his attacking instincts are better suited.

With Tyler Adams absent, Cristian Roldan got the nod ahead of Aidan Morris to partner with Tanner Tessmann in defensive midfield. Balogun, Pochettino’s clear-cut favorite in the striker corps, was quiet until a 67th-minute, back-heeled volley almost connected with Dest charging into the box.

Pochettino made his first changes in the 67th minute, replacing Scally with Alex Freeman and Dest with Diego Luna.

Four minutes later, pressure by Luna and Roldan forced a turnover. With his back to the goal, Balogun held the ball long enough for Reyna to make a run on the left. Balogun supplied Reyna, then made a run of his own. Reyna’s cross caromed off a defender and fell to Balogun for a seven-yard one-timer – his eighth goal since joining the U.S. team in 2023. He has scored in his past three U.S. starts.

Moments later, Reyna left to a rousing ovation from the crowd of 17,224. Balogun’s replacement, Ricardo Pepi, squandered a sure thing in the 6-yard box, spoiling his first appearance in a year.

The miss caused anxiety in the closing moments as Paraguay turned up the heat against the ragged Americans. In his 11th consecutive start, Freese needed to make routine saves only, then watched helplessly in stoppage time as a wicked cross nearly resulted in an own goal by Arfsten.

The final moments were marred by a fracas at the sideline near the benches after Freeman and Gustavo Gómez wrestled for the ball before a U.S. throw-in. Paraguay’s Omar Alderete, who wasn’t in the match, received a red card.

“That type of situation is very, very, very dangerous,” Pochettino said.

The U.S. players quickly came to Freeman’s defense, a show of unity that has grown the last few months.

“There were a few cheap shots thrown from their end,” Freese said. “But it's part of being a team, and we're going to be standing up for each other no matter the moment, no matter the end of the game, beginning of the game, in the middle of the game, on the sideline like that. That's what it means to be a team.”

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Sports”