Who is US soccer youngster Gio Reyna?

Every United States soccer fan of a certain generation remembers the hype around Freddy Adu when Major League Soccer club DC United signed him at the age of 14. Adu was considered the greatest soccer player in US history and he hadn’t even gained his driver’s license yet. After Adu’s career didn’t pan out, others were proclaimed the next American soccer great. The Major League Soccer season is nearing kickoff and fans can visit Silentbet to get bet bonuses before wagering on their favorite teams.

Jozy Altidore, Juan Agudelo, and Michael Bradley were all labeled as the next great American player. Although Altidore and Bradley showed flashes of brilliance, they never had the prolonged European careers need to fulfil expectations.

More recently, Christian Pulisic was tagged as the next great American soccer player after coming through the youth ranks at Borussia Dortmund. It earned him a high-priced move to Premier League club Chelsea, where he has had mixed results.

America’s next teen sensation

It is Pulisic’s old club in Germany, Borussia Dortmund, in which the next US soccer great could come from. Gio Reyna is just 17-years old, but since January, has been a part of Borussia Dortmund’s first team appearing in six games in all competitions and scoring one goal.

Reyna has the pedigree that other previous American players donned as the ‘next big thing’ did not have. The teenager is the son of former US national team captain Claudio Reyna, who had a long career playing in Europe. The elder Reyna played in Germany for Bayer Leverkusen and Wolfsburg before moving to Scotland’s Rangers then to England for Sunderland and pre-Arab money team Manchester City.

Gio doesn’t have one ex-professional soccer parent. His mother, Danielle Egan, played for the US women’s national team and had a successful career at North Carolina University.

The road to Germany

The younger Reyna joined the New York City FC youth academy in 2015, where his father was the club’s sporting director. Despite his father being a part of the club, Reyna’s talent shown early on. At a mere 14, Reyna helped the NYCFC U17 youth team win the Generation Adidas Cup and was named the tournament’s most valuable player. He later starred at the Torneo delleNazioni tournament helping the USA’s U15 team win the competition. His excellent play attracted coaches and scouts from across Europe.

Reyna joined Borussia Dortmund’s academy at the age of 16. Typically, players must be 18 to move countries, but due to holding a Portuguese passport, Reyna was able to join the team academy in 2019. After just 12 months in Borussia Dortmund’s academy, coach Lucien Favre and the club’s hierarchy promoted Reyna to the first team in January 2020.

An excellent finisher, Reyna was highly praised by former NYCFC youth coach Patrick Vieira. The American teenager is a creative player blessed with pace and the ability to bring teammates into the attack.

It is only time until Reyna is selected to the US national team. The US will have Reyna on one flank and Pulisic on the opposite side making a dangerous competition. Now, all the US need is a top-quality striker to play through the middle. Reyna is the future of US soccer and unlike some of the other players claimed the ‘next big thing’ in America, the teen looks like the real deal.