Gio Reyna needed to impress in his return to the U.S. men’s national team, and his first match back could not have started much better.
Thrown into the starting lineup against Paraguay, the Borussia Mönchengladbach midfielder found the back of the net just four minutes in, heading home a slick attacking cutback from Columbus Crew’s Max Arfsten to put the USMNT up 1–0.
The goal marked Reyna’s first with the national team since the 2024 Concacaf Nations League final, where the U.S. defeated Mexico 2–0 under then head coach Gregg Berhalter. Not to mention, he overtook his father Claudio with his ninth career goal for the U.S.
👏 GIO 👏#USMNT x @VW pic.twitter.com/Qd68avwiX4
— U.S. Soccer Men's National Team (@USMNT) November 15, 2025
At any level, it was Reyna’s first goal since Jan. 14, when he put his name on the scoresheet with Borussia Dortmund in a disheartening 4–2 loss to Holsten Kiel in Bundesliga action.
On Saturday’s broadcast replay, it looked as though Reyna mouthed the words “I told you,” as he ran to the corner flag at Subaru Park on Saturday to celebrate the goal.
Battling for a World Cup Spot
Reyna’s presence with the USMNT has been sporadic over the last several years with injury, form and controversy holding him back after establishing himself as one of Europe’s most talented teenagers in the lead-up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
While he is still fighting to find form and has not played over 610 minutes in a single season since 2020–21, the goal against Paraguay will no doubt raise his stock in an effort to make the 2026 roster.
“I do obviously think about [the World Cup] pretty often as it’s somewhere where I need and want to be,” Reyna said in a recent interview with the Associated Press. “But I try to focus daily here, stay present here, work here every day, and hopefully believe everything will fall into place.”
Paraguay tied the match just four minutes after Reyna opened the scoring, but there would have been few better ways for Reyna to reestablish himself with the Stars and Stripes than scoring in the first few moments.
After facing Paraguay, the USMNT will take on Uruguay on Nov. 18 in their final match of 2025.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Gio Reyna Snaps 601-Day Skid for USMNT in Emphatic Fashion.
