fear the wall 
28-03-2024 14:04
28-03-2024 14:04
The Gio Reyna Question: Is The American Dream Over for BVB?
The international break is an opportunity to take a deep breath and take stock of Borussia Dortmund’s season so far before finding literally anything to talk about other than international football. So when Giovanni Reyna came off the bench for the USA in the Nations League semi-final, with his side 1-0 down against Jamaica, only to grab two assists to help the USMNT progress to the final in extra time, it was obvious what was required to keep the Discourse Gravy Train moving. Having impressed off the bench in the semi-final, Reyna started in midfield in the final against Mexico, scoring the USMNT’s second goal on their way to a 2-0 win, and he was crowned the Best Player in the 2023/24 CONCACAF Nations League. So why isn’t Gio Reyna playing at club level?
The noise surrounding Gio Reyna has grown recently, as many fans feel he should be playing more for Dortmund. However, he hasn’t fared any better in the East Midlands since moving on loan to Nottingham Forest in January. At this point, it is unclear where Reyna will play football next season. Does Reyna have to move on for the good of his career?
How Good is Gio Reyna?
As a non-American in a fan community dominated by Americans, I think I am well-placed to answer this question fairly. Reyna showed promise early in his Borussia Dortmund career, but since his breakout season in 2020/21, at 17 years old, he has struggled to build on that early success. Reyna is talented, but I don’t think we’ve seen genuine progress that can tell us he is more than that.
His 2020/21 season saw him score 0.41 non-penalty goals and assists per 90 minutes in just under 2,000 minutes. He also contributed a respectable number of shot-creating actions and was an excellent outlet for ball progression. While his numbers were not staggering that season, he was only 17 years old, and they showed real promise. Since that season, his numbers have continued to be good, but in limited minutes. That said, I think his early success has clouded some judgment and convinced people he is a little better than he has proven. We can’t conclude that he is better now than at 17. The biggest problem is that he hasn’t been allowed to prove he has made progress.
While I do think the hype has outrun the performances a little, Reyna is at least good enough to be a net-positive contributor on a team like Dortmund. If given more playing time, he could prove he can be much more than that.
Why Isn’t Reyna Playing?
Reyna has had plenty of issues in the last few seasons, on and off the pitch. He has had many injury problems since breaking into the first team in 2020/21, but the lack of playing time this season has raised many questions because he has had a relatively clean bill of health. It seems as though reported injuries are not the full story, at the very least, and this has led to plenty of speculation about potential issues with Reyna’s long-term fitness and his attitude.
I don’t know why he isn’t playing, and while I think it’s inappropriate to start speculating that a player has a bad attitude just because you lack explanations for a player’s playing time, I do get why these questions come up. It doesn’t help that Reyna’s manner of carrying himself gives the impression of a moody teenager. However, anyone attempting to read an athlete’s body language during games is an idiot and should be treated as such.
It is possible that Edin Terzic doesn’t trust Reyna to stay healthy, or he doesn’t rate him as much as fans do, and that this explains the issues that injuries cannot. At first glance, it seems like Reyna’s struggles have persisted under multiple managers, but it’s worth noting that Reyna was out for 241 days (missing 45 games) under Marco Rose. Hence, he never really got the opportunity to play regularly under Rose. He has only been at Nottingham Forest since January, so adding Nuno Espírito Santo to the Managers That Hate Gio Reyna’s Guts list is too early. If Reyna continues to sit on the bench at Nottingham Forest, I will buy into the idea that the issue is specific to Reyna. If BVB move on from Terzic in the summer and a new manager is not interested in living The American Dream, I think it’s fair to ask what fans are missing.
What Next for BVB & Gio Reyna? I came into this article hoping I’d have a little more to say that might at least resemble answers, but the more I’ve thought this through, the more confused I am. I don’t know what is wrong with Gio Reyna. I don’t even know if there is anything wrong with him. I know he’s a young lad and can’t afford to continue not playing regular minutes.
Injuries explain quite a lot of what is going on here. Since the 2019/20 season, Reyna has missed 405 days and 69 games due to injury. That is a lot of time for a young lad to miss due to injuries. Before this season, I would have been willing to put all of Reyna’s struggles down to injuries, but he’s played 413 minutes in all competitions in club football this season.
The way the season is going, it feels like BVB will likely have a new manager next season to complement the new-look front office that is still being finalized. One of the first questions the decision-makers must answer this summer is what to do with Gio Reyna. I hope they will look to give Reyna more chances. Whenever he is on the pitch, he shows a quality in the final third that should at least be useful to Borussia Dortmund. His performances during the international break are just another reminder of Reyna’s talent and how weird his situation at BVB has been.
The noise surrounding Gio Reyna has grown recently, as many fans feel he should be playing more for Dortmund. However, he hasn’t fared any better in the East Midlands since moving on loan to Nottingham Forest in January. At this point, it is unclear where Reyna will play football next season. Does Reyna have to move on for the good of his career?
How Good is Gio Reyna?
As a non-American in a fan community dominated by Americans, I think I am well-placed to answer this question fairly. Reyna showed promise early in his Borussia Dortmund career, but since his breakout season in 2020/21, at 17 years old, he has struggled to build on that early success. Reyna is talented, but I don’t think we’ve seen genuine progress that can tell us he is more than that.
His 2020/21 season saw him score 0.41 non-penalty goals and assists per 90 minutes in just under 2,000 minutes. He also contributed a respectable number of shot-creating actions and was an excellent outlet for ball progression. While his numbers were not staggering that season, he was only 17 years old, and they showed real promise. Since that season, his numbers have continued to be good, but in limited minutes. That said, I think his early success has clouded some judgment and convinced people he is a little better than he has proven. We can’t conclude that he is better now than at 17. The biggest problem is that he hasn’t been allowed to prove he has made progress.
While I do think the hype has outrun the performances a little, Reyna is at least good enough to be a net-positive contributor on a team like Dortmund. If given more playing time, he could prove he can be much more than that.
Why Isn’t Reyna Playing?
Reyna has had plenty of issues in the last few seasons, on and off the pitch. He has had many injury problems since breaking into the first team in 2020/21, but the lack of playing time this season has raised many questions because he has had a relatively clean bill of health. It seems as though reported injuries are not the full story, at the very least, and this has led to plenty of speculation about potential issues with Reyna’s long-term fitness and his attitude.
I don’t know why he isn’t playing, and while I think it’s inappropriate to start speculating that a player has a bad attitude just because you lack explanations for a player’s playing time, I do get why these questions come up. It doesn’t help that Reyna’s manner of carrying himself gives the impression of a moody teenager. However, anyone attempting to read an athlete’s body language during games is an idiot and should be treated as such.
It is possible that Edin Terzic doesn’t trust Reyna to stay healthy, or he doesn’t rate him as much as fans do, and that this explains the issues that injuries cannot. At first glance, it seems like Reyna’s struggles have persisted under multiple managers, but it’s worth noting that Reyna was out for 241 days (missing 45 games) under Marco Rose. Hence, he never really got the opportunity to play regularly under Rose. He has only been at Nottingham Forest since January, so adding Nuno Espírito Santo to the Managers That Hate Gio Reyna’s Guts list is too early. If Reyna continues to sit on the bench at Nottingham Forest, I will buy into the idea that the issue is specific to Reyna. If BVB move on from Terzic in the summer and a new manager is not interested in living The American Dream, I think it’s fair to ask what fans are missing.
What Next for BVB & Gio Reyna? I came into this article hoping I’d have a little more to say that might at least resemble answers, but the more I’ve thought this through, the more confused I am. I don’t know what is wrong with Gio Reyna. I don’t even know if there is anything wrong with him. I know he’s a young lad and can’t afford to continue not playing regular minutes.
Injuries explain quite a lot of what is going on here. Since the 2019/20 season, Reyna has missed 405 days and 69 games due to injury. That is a lot of time for a young lad to miss due to injuries. Before this season, I would have been willing to put all of Reyna’s struggles down to injuries, but he’s played 413 minutes in all competitions in club football this season.
The way the season is going, it feels like BVB will likely have a new manager next season to complement the new-look front office that is still being finalized. One of the first questions the decision-makers must answer this summer is what to do with Gio Reyna. I hope they will look to give Reyna more chances. Whenever he is on the pitch, he shows a quality in the final third that should at least be useful to Borussia Dortmund. His performances during the international break are just another reminder of Reyna’s talent and how weird his situation at BVB has been.