But then came Mauricio Pochettino. The Argentine boss put his faith in Reyna when he had no real reason to do so, controversially handing the former wonderkid a place in his 2026 World Cup roster when the likes of Tanner Tessmann, Diego Luna and Aidan Morris were left home. <\/p>\n
Reyna repaid Pochettino\u2019s gamble with a brilliant trivela goal in the team\u2019s tournament opener against Paraguay, before he made four more appearances on home soil. Strasbourg took notice and handed the No. 10 a five-year deal this summer, giving him a much-needed escape route out of Borussia M\u00f6nchengladbach.<\/p>\n
![\"Gio](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/01m582nkabppcdbdyzyj.jpg\" "\\"Gio")
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Gio Reyna is getting back to his best form for both club and country. | Jamie Squire\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
It marked a new challenge for Reyna, who had never played in France before. But the American is embracing his new home and the vibrant culture of his new dressing room. <\/p>\n
\u201cIn Strasbourg, there are players from everywhere, with African, South American, Scandinavian roots … So I try to absorb a little bit of everyone every day,\u201d Reyna said in an interview with L\u2019\u00c9quipe<\/a>. \u201cThat\u2019s the great strength of football: its ability to bring together people from all these cultures.\u201d<\/p>\n Reyna has shown his strengths on the pitch as well in his new home. He has already found the back of the net twice in seven appearances, doubling his haul from 20 appearances at M\u00f6nchengladbach last season. On Saturday, he was the only player on his team to get on the scoresheet in a 3\u20131 defeat<\/a> to reigning European and French champions Paris Saint-Germain. <\/p>\n He\u2019s getting more and more comfortable each week in Ligue 1, but so much of his identity is still rooted to his native homeland. <\/p>\n Reyna Takes Notes From New York Mentality Gio Reyna has become one of Mauricio Pochettino\u2019s favorites. | Robin Alam\/ISI Photos\/ISI Photos\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Reyna has been to more places and experienced more cultures than most 23 years olds in the world. He was born in Sunderland, grew up in New York, played at Borussia Dortmund in Germany, had a spell in England with Nottingham Forest, then moved to M\u00f6nchengladbach before putting down some roots in northeastern France.<\/p>\n Plus, his mother Danielle, who played soccer at the University of North Carolina before representing the U.S. women\u2019s national team, is of Irish descent. His father Claudio, who retired from the USMNT<\/a> with 112 caps to his name, is of Argentinian-Portuguese descent. <\/p>\n Reyna touches on how each place has shaped his life and his mindset, but none had a greater impact than New York, where he revealed he feels most at home after living there from ages 5 to 16. <\/p>\n New York City FC is where Gio Reyna got his start. | Stephen Nadler\/ISI Photos\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s where I bought my house, where a large part of my family lives, where my wife is from and where I\u2019ll live after my career,\u201d Reyna said of New York. \u201cI\u2019m a true New Yorker! This city is a melting pot, and it\u2019s precisely this multicultural aspect, this diversity of such different people, all very proud to belong to New York\u2014myself included\u2014that makes it the most beautiful place in the world. <\/p>\n \u201cWith the mentality of always wanting to keep moving forward, even when things get tougher, while remaining loyal and passionate. The stereotypes you see in movies are true.\u201d<\/p>\n Reyna knows a thing or two about just keep moving forward. After a long road back to the USMNT, the midfielder now finds himself gunning for a starting place in Pochettino\u2019s lineup. He got the nod in all four the team\u2019s friendlies this fall<\/a>, and collected two assists along the way.<\/p>\n Winning a place in the XI for the 2030 World Cup would be a dream for the player who started his career at New York City FC<\/a>\u2019s academy. Malik Tillman will be a tough man to beat, but Reyna is looking up to the task these days. <\/p>\n Reyna Names One of His Biggest Inspirations Gio Reyna (left) and Jude Bellingham previously starred for Borussia Dortmund. | Stuart Franklin\/Getty Images<\/p>\n As Reyna continues his ascent back to prominence on both the club and international stages, he is always keeping an eye on other talented stars who excel at being a No. 10, especially those he previously crossed paths with. <\/p>\n Reyna singles out Real Madrid<\/a> maestro Jude Bellingham, who he calls a \u201cgreat friend.\u201d The two were teammates at Dortmund before the England international left to join Real Madrid in the summer of 2023. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve always gotten along well with the English. Jude, who can play at a very high level in many different positions, is incredibly inspiring to me,\u201d Reyna said. <\/p>\n![\"Gio](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/01m583hkzrdx7wfrec9g.jpg\" "\\"Gio")
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