Why ‘exceptionally good’ Gio Reyna has been ‘bouncing around’ as Brad Friedel backs USMNT star to overcome injury issues & prove worth at Strasbourg
Breakthrough made as a teenage wonderkid
Reyna has had to contend with that kind of billing since leaving the United States for Germany and Borussia Dortmund in 2019. He made his senior bow for BVB at the age of 17, breaking a record for American debutants in the Bundesliga that had previously been held by international colleague Christian Pulisic.
He was considered to be the hottest of prospects at that stage, with leading roles for club and country expected to be taken up. Fitness issues did, however, quickly become an unfortunately familiar theme.
Injuries stunted the development and progress of a man supposedly destined for the very top, with starting berths drying up in Dortmund. A loan spell at Premier League outfit Nottingham Forest in 2024 also proved frustrating, with the desired impact not being made in England.
A year at Monchengladbach & then off to France
A fresh start was embraced in 2025 when joining Borussia Monchengladbach on a permanent basis, but just 19 appearances and one goal were taken in there. A place was still found in Mauricio Pochettino’s USMNT squad for a home World Cup in 2026.
On the back of that tournament, a switch to Strasbourg was completed, with a long-term contract through to 2031 being signed. Reyna has started brightly in Ligue 1, finding the target on three occasions across 10 outings, and appears to have found a new home in which to put down long-term roots.
What Reyna needs in order to show his full potential
Asked for his assessment of this version of Reyna and whether full potential can finally be unlocked, former USMNT goalkeeper Friedel - who was speaking in association with Grosvenor Sport - told GOAL: “Unfortunately for him, a lot of the bouncing around has been due to injuries.
“Hopefully, his body has mended itself, so to speak, and he's matured into his body. If you look back when he got his first injuries, his body wasn't even fully developed yet. He wasn't even fully grown. When you're a young player and you get your first injuries while you're still growing, it's really dangerous on your body to get another injury and another one and another one. That's unfortunately what happened to him.
“I don't think it's ever a question of his talent at all. There's no way that all these clubs would try to persevere through the injuries by signing him and taking him if he didn't have the quality.
“He's the type of player whose body just needed that little bit of time to mend all together - his joints, his tendons, his ligaments, everything - and now he can get a good run of games. I hope for him that he just has 12 straight months of no injuries. Between 60 and 90 minutes of football every weekend, no injuries, get through a full season, let your body get used to that, and I think you’ll see a really wonderful player.
“I think he is very good. Everybody knows he's good, but I don't think people in the world quite know exactly how good he is because he's never had a run of games. This kid is exceptionally good. He just needs a little bit of luck.”
Targets to be chased with Strasbourg & the USMNT
Strasbourg believe that they can be the ones to get Reyna firing on all cylinders in European football, with greater freedom being afforded to him as expectations are reined in a little. He is being encouraged to express himself and impact matches in important areas of the field.
Form at club level should benefit the United States, as they prepare to face Haiti in a two-legged CONCACAF Nations League quarter-final. Their mercurial No.10 has 47 caps to his name and should be setting the very achievable target of becoming a centurion on the appearance front.
