From bench-warming to USMNT camp, Gio Reyna races against time to secure a World Cup roster spot

MARIETTA, Ga. — Of the 27 players in U.S. training camp this week, all but two have been playing regularly for European and Major League Soccer clubs.

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Alex Freeman’s scant minutes come with an asterisk.

Gio Reyna’s bench-warming does not.

Their presence here is proof that consistent minutes in day jobs are not a firm requisite for World Cup roster consideration. But as Mauricio Pochettino assesses his roster pool ahead of the May 26 announcement, a player’s weekly work is hard to ignore.

Once full of promise in Germany, Reyna has failed to break through in his first season at Mönchengladbach after fading from prominence at Borussia Dortmund.

And yet, despite two appearances totaling 28 minutes in 2026, four starts since the August opener and fewer than 750 minutes over two seasons, the 23-year-old midfielder remains in the World Cup mix.

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In summoning Reyna for a camp featuring friendlies in Atlanta against Belgium on Saturday and Portugal on Tuesday, Pochettino called him a “very special player” who, even if not playing for his club, “can be very useful for us” and who was “fantastic” for the U.S. in November.

On Thursday, in his first public comments since reporting to camp, Reyna said, “It's always easier when you're playing week in and week out. My case is not like that. Fortunate and, of course, always honored and happy to be back in with the [U.S.] coach’s trust. If the opportunity comes up, I still feel very prepared to make an impact this camp on the field.”

Long hampered by injuries, Reyna seemed on a bright path last fall when, in his first U.S. camp in eight months, he scored against Paraguay during a dynamic performance and days later assisted in a substitute’s role against Uruguay.

Despite limited playing time for his club in Germany, Gio Reyna is in Atlanta making his case for a World Cup spot.John Dorton/ISI Photos/USSF via Getty Images

Back in Germany, Reyna hit his stride, starting four consecutive matches. After the winter break, however, a muscular injury stalled his progress again. He was back in uniform a month ago but hasn’t logged a minute since, sparking debate about whether Pochettino would invite him to the final camp before he announces his World Cup squad in two months.

“I guess you could say it was sort of one of his more difficult decisions, or, I guess, controversial decisions, to maybe bring me in,” Reyna said. “Can't appreciate it enough. Love this team, love this staff, love this group of people.”

Pochettino has said, as a coach, balancing national team credentials with a club situation is “an art because every single player is different and [mean] different things to the team. … It's not fair to judge all in the same way.”

Freeman’s situation is different than Reyna’s, having moved from Orlando City in MLS’ offseason this winter to Villarreal in La Liga’s midseason.

With his new club closing in on a Champions League berth next season, Freeman faced a tall task breaking into the lineup. Since becoming eligible Jan. 31, the 21-year-old right back and wing has played in four of nine matches totaling 42 minutes.

While Freeman’s exploits with the national team should secure his World Cup ticket — he scored twice against Uruguay in November — Pochettino, of course, would prefer his Villarreal minutes tick up in the final nine matches.

Reyna said he and Pochettino have a “great relationship” and that he is getting a “confident feeling from the people here and the staff, [who] want me to be myself. … It's a great group of guys, so it makes my life easy.”

Reyna is closest to right back Joe Scally, who is not only his U.S. colleague but his Mönchengladbach teammate. Born seven weeks apart in late 2002, the New York natives have known each other since they were kids and played together in the New York City FC academy.

“That's where we really, truly fell in love and learned the game at a high level,” Reyna said.

Both were members of the 2022 World Cup squad in Qatar. Scally didn’t play. Reyna played sparingly, triggering a controversy with then-coach Gregg Berhalter that spilled into the public after Reyna’s parents got involved.

Reyna and Berhalter slowly reconciled before Berhalter was fired in the summer of 2024 following Copa America failure. A groin injury prevented him from joining Pochettino’s debut camp that fall.

By the next spring, he was back with the U.S. team, making one sub appearance at the Concacaf Nations League finals. He wasn’t recalled again until last November.

“When we were at the last World Cup, we were 19 or 20, so we’ve definitely grown from then,” said Scally, who starts for Mönchengladbach and provides depth in this U.S. camp as Sergiño Dest recovers from a hamstring injury. “It's four years. Obviously, there's still pressure to make the team.”

Those around the team say Reyna is much more mature this cycle.

“Sort of learned a lot about ourselves and really felt like we had to grow up in that World Cup as a lot of us were in our early 20s or late teens,” Reyna said. “So we hope to bring this with us and have a better showing if, obviously, we all get the chance this summer.”

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