USMNT Star Gio Reyna Suffers Major Injury Setback, Replaced Just Days Before November Window

U.S. men’s national team star midfielder Gio Reyna suffered an injury on Friday afternoon, grimacing in pain while calling for a substitution in the 70th minute of Strasbourg’s regular season match against French Ligue 1 foe Toulouse. He will miss the upcoming November international window, with Mauricio Pochettino’s men set to reconvene stateside on Monday ahead of Concacaf Nations League competition.

Reyna endured a chaotic sequence. Just three minutes prior to his injury, the 23-year-old had darted into the final third, battling multiple Toulouse defenders and the day’s intense fog to combine with a Strasbourg teammate for a quick give-and-go. Reyna was then at the ready when an overwhelmed Toulouse midfielder spilled a pass straight into the 18-yard box. The American snuck onto the end of it and fired an easy shot into the net.

It seemed to be just the spark of life the away team needed, cutting their deficit at Stadium de Toulouse in half. Reyna appeared fine in the immediate aftermath of his third goal this season, conducting a celebratory run back to the center circle with the ball in his hands. Nevertheless, he was soon plagued by pain, clutching his thigh and signaling to the bench for a substitution.

Reyna has a history of muscular problems, specifically in his thigh. He missed three games in fall 2025 with a thigh injury, before being hit with more muscular problems in January and February. He missed five games for Borussia Mönchengladbach to start the year.

Toulouse ultimately won 3–1 to close out play ahead of the 10-day November international break; however, Reyna has much bigger concerns to deal with.

The seriousness of Reyna’s ailment and the timeline for his recovery remain unclear; however, his extensive injury history certainly doesn’t present much optimism.

Pochettino named his 25-man November squad on Wednesday, the best and brightest Americans capable of dominating Haiti in the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals two-legged series later this month. There was never a doubt that that list would include Reyna,

The midfielder has become a personal favorite of Pochettino’s on both the wings and in the center of the park, deemed a “very special talent” by the 54-year-old. It was the same daring creativity that Reyna displayed against Toulouse that has endeared him to Pochettino and earned him a shock invite to the 2026 World Cup.

He subsequently started all four friendlies in last month’s extended international window, the only USMNT player to do so. The team won all four matches, including against bitter rivals Mexico and Canada, igniting a perfect post-World Cup era due in no small part to Reyna’s contributions.

He is also enjoying a career high at the domestic level. After riding the bench at Gladbach all last season, Reyna has finally carved out an important starting role for himself in France. Just three months into the new season, he is already up to eight starts in league play, the most he has had for any club since 2021. His three league goals are already the most he has scored since the 2022–23 Bundesliga season with Borussia Dortmund.

Pochettino has already had to make one injury swap to his November roster, replacing West Bromwich Albion center back George Campbell with Toulouse center back Mark McKenzie—who coincidentally also scored in Friday’s match against Strasbourg, just 11 minutes before Reyna’s goal. Campbell suffered a groin injury in Tuesday’s EFL Championship match against Southampton and won’t recover until after the international break.

The USMNT manager has now made a second swap, replacing Reyna with 23-year-old winger Jack McGlynn. Since leaving Houston Dynamo and making the move to Europe this summer, the Stoke City player has simply hit a new gear. The starting right winger is already up to a team-high five goals in 11 EFL Championship appearances, finding the back of the net in each of the last three matches to bring Stoke up the league standings and tied for the top spot. He most recently scored on Saturday in a 2–1 win over Portsmouth at Fratton Park.

McGlynn has 13 caps for the USMNT and played an integral part in the team’s run to the finals of the 2026 Concacaf Gold Cup; however, he was not included in Pochettino’s World Cup roster this summer.