Just 209 days after the start of the first World Cup match, the U.S. men's team is still looking for options. Exploring opportunities. You can even use that big word: experiment.
On a cold autumn night outside Philadelphia, at least one of these experiments provided an opportunity, an opportunity, a welcome light at the end of a dark period for one of the most energetic talents to ever wear a USA jersey.
Gio Reyna's return to the national team was quite remarkable. That he started in Saturday's friendly against Paraguay was somewhat surprising given his lack of game time and recent injury at Borussia Monchengladbach. That he scored within five minutes, continued to be effective until the second half, and then scored the decisive goal in a 2-1 win, potentially – potentially! – a decisive moment in preparing the host country for the world stage. If Reina is happy, healthy and comfortable playing for Team USA, head coach Mauricio Pochettino He has a very intriguing offensive option at his disposal that could raise Team USA's ceiling next year.
The Borussia Mönchengladbach midfielder is undoubtedly one of the most talented attacking midfielders of his generation, but he has spent much of his time since the 2022 World Cup traveling from one controversy to another, from one injury to another, from one dissatisfied club coach to another and now this summer from one club to another in search of the game time he needs to return to the US scene.
He has yet to find that time at Monchengladbach, but Pochettino admitted he has been called up to the US for this window because it is one of the last chances for the head coach to assess Reina's suitability for the team before the squad is significantly reduced ahead of the international window in March 2026 – the last before the World Cup squad is named.
The impressions were positive in the camp, and even more positive at the beginning of the game. Paraguay. Reina's goal in the fourth minute came from a rare header from the attacking midfielder, who rose to meet Max Arfsten's cross with a soft strike that bounced off the underside of the crossbar and over the line. Reyna rolled away, seemingly doing everything in his power to avoid acknowledging the personal importance of the target. Without any theatrics, he pointed to the USA badge, greeted his cheering teammates and returned to the center circle.
The US, of course, is concerned about much broader issues than Reina. Among them is the team's continued adaptation to the three-man defensive formation that brought them their greatest success in 2025 – with three centre-backs and two attacking wingbacks (Serginho Dest on the right and Arfsten on the left on Saturday) who can move forward and join the attack at will.
While the US attack was missing big talent in Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie, the defensive side had to similarly adapt without key stars Crystal Palace centre-back Chris Richards and Bournemouth defensive midfielder Tyler Adams, who both missed this camp after picking up knocks at club level.
So Reyna's Mönchengladhab teammate Joe Scully was back in the back line on Saturday. Pochettino decided not to call up the Borussia Monchengladbach defender after his below-par performance in the Nations League final in March, but he returned to camp this week and appeared on Saturday in a new role for the USA – right-sided centre-back in that three-man back line, which shifted to a back four when the USA were out of possession and Scully moved to his natural right-back position.
The adaptable back line defended well when called upon, with the notable exception of Alex Arce's 10th-minute equalizer: a simple long ball put the US on the back foot, and the gaps between the back three were so wide and inviting that the 30-year-old was not within five yards of pressure when he struck from the penalty spot.
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However, they also experienced a number of difficulties with possession in the first half. At various points, all three – Tim Ream, Miles Robinson and Scully – were caught off guard in possession, unaware of the pressure that was causing desperate passes that were cleared in midfield, quickly followed by fouls and set pieces that Paraguay were unable to capitalize on. There were also occasional positioning problems when the ball was in the outfield, with Robinson receiving a yellow card in the 26th minute after Paraguay had turned the USA over and racing forward, leaving him in no man's land where he committed a tactical foul along with other defenders around him to stop the break.
However, these small omissions did not reflect the larger picture. The USA's solid defense allowed them to stay in the game, testing Paraguay consistently until Reyna came in and provided the breakthrough. After playing a nice 1-2 with Folarin Balogun, Reyna looked up on his way to the byline and delivered a low cross that took off from a pair of Paraguayan defenders before finding Balogun, who finished with ease. Reyna waved at him as Balogun ran away. Reyna was removed soon after.
The 75 minutes he played Saturday were the most since the U.S. lost 2-1 to Uruguay in the 2024 Copa America, a defeat that ended their tournament and Gregg Berhalter's tenure as the team's coach. The U.S. faces Uruguay again on Tuesday in Tampa, Florida, again with an attacking option at its disposal that it hopes will produce a better result.
