NEW YORK — United States men’s national team coach Mauricio Pochettino said that he included Borussia Mönchengladbach midfielder Gio Reyna on his World Cup roster because of the player’s “amazing talent.”
Reyna made the U.S. squad despite playing just 137 minutes for Gladbach since the start of the calendar year, a period in which he tallied one goal.
But due in part to Reyna’s performances during the November international window, in which he scored in a 2-1 win against Paraguay and added an assist in the 5-1 win over Uruguay, Pochettino opted to include the player, stating that the player was “fantastic” during that period.
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“I think we all know Gio have an amazing talent and experience too,” Pochettino said during his news conference following the announcement of his 26-player roster. “And to play a non-official game or to play in different competition is not the same as to play in the World Cup. [But] I think we need to trust the players that have experience and I think that is really important.”
Reyna has long been one of the more talented players in the USMNT pool, but a string of injuries and inconsistent play have prevented him from making much of an impact at club level. Pochettino. though, sees Reyna’s potential.
“[Reyna] can add different things to the team. He has the quality,” Pochettino said. He then added, “I think he has characteristics [that are] different and I think I really trust [him] OK? I like trusting everyone. But I really trust in him and to give him the confidence.”
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Reyna, for his part, is appreciative of getting to go to a second World Cup. His previous experience saw him nearly sent home from Qatar in 2022 by then-coach Gregg Berhalter over a perceived lack of effort in training. That episode spilled into the open when Berhalter spoke after the World Cup, and resulted in a public feud between the Berhalter and Reyna families.
Reyna said he is keen to erase that memory and create a new World Cup experience.
“It’s a country now that has a lot of competition, a lot of talent, so it wasn’t easy for anyone to make it,” he told ESPN’s Sam Borden. “Of course I’m happy to be here, but at the same time, I obviously want to help the team anyway possible. So it’s more just appreciative for another opportunity to represent.”
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Pochettino did try to downplay Reyna’s potential contribution, hinting that the player is unlikely to start. But he’s happy to have a player of Reyna’s ability coming off the bench.
“I don’t say that he’s going to play [every] game, but he can help,” Pochettino said about Reyna. “He can help because he’s a different player, different talent. And I think in all the roster, you need to have a player like him.
“That is why I think I really believe that he can be in a situation that can help in different aspects of the game.”
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The U.S. will open its World Cup campaign against Paraguay in Inglewood, California, on June 12, before taking on Australia in Seattle and rounding out the group stage against Türkiye back at Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium.
Before that, the U.S. will play warmup games against Senegal in Charlotte on Sunday and with Germany in Chicago on June 6.
