The USMNT is entering the World Cup with a painfully obvious Gio Reyna problem

There isn’t much time left until Mauricio Pochettino names his 26-man USMNT roster for the 2026 World Cup. That announcement will come on May 26. Pochettino will have some tough decisions for the last few roster spots, as well as a few headaches when it comes to deciding on a starting lineup. 

Heading into the World Cup, Gio Reyna is a player who comes with more questions than answers, creating a problem for the USMNT. His odd combination of talent and lack of playing time for his club team has created an obvious problem for Pochettino. Unfortunately, the answers to a few questions aren’t clear.

Will Gio Reyna make the World Cup roster?

Based on talent alone, this is a foolish question. There’s no doubt that Reyna is among the 26 best American players. But given his injury history and lack of playing time at Borussia Mönchengladbach this season, it’s a fair question. Reyna has only logged around 600 total minutes for Gladbach across all competitions. He has just four starts in the Bundesliga, with 14 appearances off the bench. Not until the penultimate game of the season did Reyna score his first goal of the campaign.

With so little playing time and a lack of productivity, can Pochettino actually give a roster spot to Reyna? Surely, the likes of Brenden Aaronson, Malik Tillman, Diego Luna, and Alex Zendejas are in better form at the moment and more deserving of a roster spot. That makes it hard to justify putting Reyna on the roster.

However, while there is a logical argument to leave Reyna off the roster, he’s too talented to keep off the World Cup roster. With 26 spots, Pochettino can afford to take a player like Reyna with a high ceiling but a low floor. In other words, there isn’t a ton of risk in using a roster spot on Reyna when the potential reward is so great.

Even if Reyna isn’t in great form or has 90 minutes of fitness at the start of the tournament, that’s something that can be built up once the team comes together. There will be more than two weeks of training before the USMNT’s first game, as well as friendlies against Senegal and Germany. Even during the tournament, there is more time than usual between the group stage matches, allowing Reyna more training time to get up to speed, further justifying his inclusion in the squad.

Could Gio Reyna start for USMNT at the World Cup?

Assuming Reyna is on the roster, the next question is whether Pochettino considers him for a starting spot. For this question, it’s harder to argue in Reyna’s favor. Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie are both safe bets to be the attacking midfielders playing directly underneath the striker. Even if McKennie plays a deeper role, Tillman, Aaronson, and others will compete for that spot with Reyna.

Also, Reyna’s lack of fitness makes him a risk to start since there’s no way he could play 90 minutes. Even if he builds stamina during the tournament, it’s unlikely he’ll be able to play a full 90 minutes at any point, making it hard for Pochettino to consider him in the starting lineup. On the bright side, if he knows his role will be exclusively coming off the bench, Reyna can mentally prepare himself for that role and be in a position to help the team as a sub.

What impact will Gio Reyna make during the World Cup?

This is the million-dollar question. If he were performing anywhere close to his potential heading into the tournament, Reyna would be a potential difference-maker for the USMNT. The problem is that his lack of playing time at club level makes it hard to envision him suddenly coming alive during the World Cup. It also makes it hard for Pochettino to trust Reyna in a big spot, potentially giving other players opportunities ahead of him.

On the other hand, perhaps the USMNT’s training camp and two pre-tournament friendly matches will be enough to get Reyna going. If he can get some minutes under his belt and get his confidence back, Reyna would immediately become a key attacking player for the USMNT. He’s scored goals and contributed assists in competitive matches, showing an ability to unlock defenses and create scoring chances. Unfortunately, instances in which Reyna has been that caliber of player have been rare over the past couple of years, meaning the USMNT may not get anything close to the best version of Reyna during the World Cup. 

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