Are Borussia Dortmund the perfect fit for Gio Reyna's career development?

Jeff Carlisle, U.S. soccer correspondent*September 5, 2024 at 9:36AM ETCloseJeremy Carlisle covers Major League Soccer (MLS) and the U.S. national team for ESPN FC; Gio Reyna is stuck.With summer transfer windows closing across major European leagues last week, many players celebrated getting new deals. Reyna is clearly in this latter camp – Borussia Dortmund and USMNT midfielder Reyna must find ways to play more regularly, although his future opportunities might not be so apparent. Last season, he played just 329 minutes across 13 league and cup appearances. Reyna’s loan stint at Premier League side Nottingham Forest wasn’t exactly fulfilling his hopes; instead he found himself mostly sitting on the bench as Forest battled relegation. Reyna returned home where new manager Nuri Sahin had welcomed him warmly with open arms. There was hope that under a different coach Reyna’s capabilities might become apparent more readily; unfortunately there hasn’t been any real progress. Reyna has only featured in one league match this year and played nine minutes total in his league appearances so far. Yet Dortmund are keen to hold onto Reyna. There will be several UEFA Champions League games this season to evaluate Die Schwarzgelben and potentially offer more playing time to U.S. international than last season. Reyna has made efforts to force himself back into Dortmund’s lineup and his efforts were recognized by their athletic director Sebastian Kehl: he worked on himself, stability and charisma – two areas in need of improvement according to Bild. “Gio has further refined his technique of clever passing between lines and goal threat, becoming even more useful this season for us. Dortmund are understandably keen on holding onto Reyna for now – an understandable move by them in my view! Over the years, they’ve invested significantly in Reyna and shown patience despite his numerous injuries – hoping that one would come good eventually (sadly this injury bug struck again with him pulling out of September’s USMNT camp due to groin strain.). Now Reyna may come good. Reyna has displayed great resilience by fighting his way back into Dortmund’s lineup and not succumbing to peer pressure to leave Dortmund altogether. Reyna’s desire to return is indicative of both his talent and mental toughness, showing just how important Reyna remains as part of Dortmund. Reyna’s career could benefit greatly if he can finally achieve a breakthrough; but does being reduced to bit-part status help or hurt that goal? Quite likely not; rather it would likely see Reyna’s game continue its gradual deterioration further. Reyna needs to find himself a new club where his skillset is fully utilized, said former U.S. men’s national team assistant Luchi Gonzalez who had Reyna in Germany during their most recent World Cup cycle. “That may or may not be in Germany.” I don’t know where he will play next season – perhaps in Holland or Belgium or Spain; whatever his destination, there will certainly be teams who would want him as their star man and I am excited to watch that unfold over time. “Once he makes that adjustment, Gio Reyna could potentially return to a similar club like Borussia Dortmund or one with similar levels, where he can begin dominating again,” according to Nuri Sahin’s team-lineup for Borussia Dortmund this season. Reyna has only played nine minutes under him so far this campaign. (Photo by Alex Gottschalk/DeFodi Images via Getty Images). There have been plenty of examples of players who have broken through and flourished under such pressure. Mohamed Salah never managed to fully establish himself at Chelsea, so after rebuilding his confidence at Fiorentina and AS Roma he returned to Liverpool as one of their club legends. Kevin De Bruyne too found success after struggling at Chelsea when his impressive season with Bundesliga side Wolfsburg saw him becoming Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City side’s attacking hub. Within USMNT circles, Luca de la Torre proved his quality by moving down from Fulham in the Premier League to Heracles Almelo of Eredivisie before signing with Celta Vigo of LaLiga (though he recently has struggled for minutes). Reyna is showing more inclination than de la Torre to consider making such a transition himself. He remains disgruntled at Forest’s experience, realizing the Premier League didn’t fulfill his needs as expected. A more practical move such as Marseille or Sevilla — both were said to have been on his list — may have been beneficial in terms of career growth. Bild reported Tuesday that VfL Bochum inquired about Reyna’s loan move earlier in the summer; Reyna welcomed this idea; however, Dortmund rejected this plan by demanding full transfer instead. Gonzalez noted how Reyna’s game has advanced to where he could excel as the team’s attacking centerpiece. Reyna has shown signs of improvement on both ends of the field as he strives to find more balance within his game, according to Reyna himself. Watch FUTBOL AMERICAS ON ESPN+Herculez Gomez and Sebastian Salazar break down soccer highlights across Americas on ESPN+ (U.S. only).
“He takes over when needed; when in the attacking third or half you can see him creating combination plays with final passes or driving at defenders he creates combination plays to take control.” He’s doing that with better balance, awareness and decision-making as well as greater responsibility. “You see him working his rear off defensively – be it centrally or wide.” “He defended in the box with great concentration during recent national team matches, understanding it is vital for their victory, showing immense focus. You could tell he is becoming more complete.” “To continue that evolution requires playing regularly for Dortmund; otherwise if that can’t happen then the European transfer window reopens next January to find somewhere new where his abilities might flourish further.”