Benchwarmer No Longer—USMNT World Cup Star Gio Reyna Stuns in Ligue 1

For years, Gio Reyna has been searching for regular minutes and goal-scoring success. He may have finally found both in France with Ligue 1’s Racing Strasbourg.

After falling out of favor with Borussia Dortmund and further struggling to perform for Nottingham Forest and Borussia Mönchengladbach, the now 23-year-old is showing signs of his peak form in his early days with Strasbourg.

On Sunday, the New York City FC academy graduate scored his first goal of the regular season, helping his side to a 6–2 win over Troyes, the team’s second-straight win after last week’s 2–1 victory over Lens. It actually marked Reyna’s second goal contribution for his new club, facilitating Strasbourg’s equalizer in the club friendly against Newcastle last month.

For Reyna, though, it’s more about getting consistent minutes and the opportunity to build on a strong showing with the U.S. men’s national team at this summer’s World Cup, which saw the midfielder/winger feature in all five matches and even score a goal in the group stage opener. He has earned the trust of USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino, something he’ll desperately want to hold onto.

After playing 21 minutes off the bench in the season-opening loss to Marseille, Reyna has started in his side’s two subsequent wins, first going 76 minutes in the match against Lens before notching 62 minutes against Troyes.

GIO REYNA IS BACK 🇺🇸🔥 pic.twitter.com/dHHBCmO68e
— USMNT Only (@usmntonly) September 6, 2026

Beyond his goal in the 57th minute, Reyna was explosive and creative all over the pitch, ranking among the best of the Strasbourg starters in the dominant effort. He was even a significant contributor on defense, notching six recoveries in his time on the pitch.

It’s still early, but this could mark a new evolution in Reyna’s career. His production is already shining more consistently compared to the brief glimpses of seasons past, all while he still continues to be challenged in a top European league.

“I just try to be myself every day, try to bring my experience on the pitch and on the training pitch as well, and I try to help out the younger guys,” he said pre-match, despite being only 23 himself.

“I’m still learning as well. I’ve been here for just a few games, but the quality has really caught me by surprise. I knew it was going to be a very good league, but the first two games of the season ... It was very fast, high energy, a lot of fast wingers and attacking speed that's at a very high pace.

“The league has pleasantly surprised me. The level has been very, very high, and I've quickly learned that you know no game in this league is going to be easy.”

Reyna’s USMNT Push Continues

Gio Reyna is looking to become a core piece of the USMNT picture ahead of the 2030 World Cup. | Franco Arland/Getty Images

While featuring in every World Cup game this summer showed Pochettino’s confidence in Reyna’s talents, the new quadrennial in the lead-up to the 2030 World Cup will demand much more from the American, who can no longer lean solely on potential.

He knows what it will take to reach such a level after serving on two World Cup squads now (2022 and 2026). There’s hope that he can carve out a core role for himself on the USMNT, after being a fringe player through the last two years and entirely absent for a stint prior to that, due to hefty internal drama.

That’s why he stayed in Europe, despite links to Major League Soccer, where he likely could have earned more as a star Designated Player.

His next chance to make a dent in the scoresheet comes in Strasbourg’s upcoming clash with AS Monaco, which could feature the return of USMNT star striker Folarin Balogun to the lineup after his failed move to Everton. Later this month, the two could link up stateside as well, as Pochettino assembles a roster for four friendlies against Chile, Peru, Mexico and Canada.

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