Tipping point: Gio Reyna's career is in the balance, as USMNT star's future at Borussia Dortmund remains unclear
Getty/GOALThe once-promising USMNT midfielder is nearly 22, and lack of playing time has stagnated his progress
If you're a Gio Reyna fan, you've seen this movie before.
Reyna’s season kicked off in the usual way he’s experienced in recent years: starting on the bench. Borussia Dortmund’s season opened last weekend with a one-sided DFB-Pokal victory over a team from a lower league. Once again, Reyna had a prime view of the entire event.
Despite Dortmund leading 4-1 against Phonix Lubeck with their primary players on the field, Reyna remained benched. He watched as Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, Julian Brandt, and Karim Adeyemi took the lead, followed by the entrance of Julian Duranville and Donyell Malen from the bench. The Dortmund offensive line remains saturated, and even during their domination over the opposition, Reyna still finds himself left out.
The fact that there are only days, not weeks, left in the transfer window feels more significant than ever. Reyna is at a crucial crossroads in his career, a point where he can no longer afford to squander time. Merely being a part of one of the world’s largest clubs isn’t as beneficial as it used to be, at least not as much as actually getting game time.
For many years, it seemed as though Reyna was poised to become Dortmund’s next big star, following in the footsteps of his friends, Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham, into superstardom.
That hasn't happened, at least not yet.
So what's Reyna to do? He may not ultimately control the answer, but for his sake, the solution better end in his playing real, tangible minutes at some point this season. His development and his career, in many ways, depend upon it.
