Borussia Dortmund Trains American Teenager Gio Reyna
Soccer News from Germany – Spotlight on the Bundesliga
USA youth international Gio Reyna included in Bundesliga Borussia Dortmund‘s winter training camp. Referring to Reyna as “without doubt, a huge talent,” Dortmund recruited the then 16-year-old last year.
The US youth international is edging closer to making his senior Dortmund bow. The midfielder, who just turned 17-years-old last month, recently captained USA U17s at the FIFA U17 World Cup in Brazil.
It is not news that the son of the former USA and Manchester City midfielder, Claudio Reyna, has left American soil to develop his skills in Germany. Joining the first-team squad at winter camp and hoping to make his senior team debut when Dortmund is back in Bundesliga action on January 18th is.
The boys are here! 🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/ve0Lrqe2D6
— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) January 4, 2020
According to the Bundesliga, this is the latest recognition for the 17-year-old.
Read: BVB academy recruits Reyna
Can Reyna help Dortmund win the league?
Leaving MLS’ New York City FC’s youth academy last summer, Reyna has scored four goals and provided seven assists in 11 U19 Bundesliga appearances this term.
Reyna has also scored four another four in Europe, as well as laying on earning an assist from four group games as Dortmund’s academy qualified for the knockout stages of the UEFA Youth League.
It is not the first time Reyna has been given a taste of first-team football at Dortmund. Reyna joined BVB in November of 2018 and took his chance to shine in his homeland when the Germany giant toured the USA last summer.
Side Note: The most acclaimed youth soccer player in the USA, Christian Pulisic has said he would not be where he is today without his time in the Bundesliga training and playing for Borussia Dortmund. What is it that Germany has that America lacks?
The senior Reyna was the captain of U.S. Soccer’s Men’s National team and then the Youth Technical Director for U.S. Soccer before taking over the role in 2013 of the sporting director at New York City FC. If he has his son train in Germany, what does this say about player development in the USA, even at the highest levels of the MLS Academies?
Read on MLS Soccer: Gio Reyna, NYCFC academy product, in Dortmund squad vs. Dusseldorf
Top Image: From Bundesliga – Jan Huebner/Bywaletz
