Gio Reyna on USMNT: “I will only play for the United States”

Everyone can breathe easy now. In an interview this morning with Ruhr Nachrichten, American youngster Gio Reyna made it clear that he intends to play for the United States Men’s National Team.

“It’s very clear for me: I will only play for the United States, that’s my home,” Reyna said in the interview. The 17-year-old American, whose parents are USMNT legend Claudio Reyna and former USWNT player Danielle Egan Reyna, also was eligible to play for Portugal as a result of possessing a Portuguese passport through Claudio’s mother. Reports that he was also eligible to play in England (where he was born) and Argentina (where Claudio’s father is from) were erroneous, as England does not automatically grant citizenship to people who are born there and Claudio was not born in Argentina.

Reyna’s statement should put to bed any worries among American fans of his commitment to the program. Reyna broke through into the first team at Borussia Dortmund over the winter break and has made appearances in every match since then. He broke Christian Pulisic’s record as the youngest American to ever play in the Bundesliga. He has 1 goal for Dortmund in the DFB Pokal and had an assist in their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 first leg victory over Paris St-Germain. Last week, USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter announced that Gio Reyna would be called up to the national team for friendlies later this month in Europe against the Netherlands and Wales.

So, the story that shouldn’t have been a story has now reached its conclusion: Reyna is a USMNT player. Hit the comments and discuss.

.