Mauricio Pochettino justifies trust in Gio Reyna despite his struggles

Gio Reyna has done very little to secure a place on Mauricio Pochettino's final United States national team roster for the World Cup on home soil. His performances at club level have been, to put it mildly, underwhelming.

So far in 2026, the midfielder has logged just 26 minutes with Borussia Mönchengladbac h. With such limited playing time, it is difficult to envision him earning a spot with the U.S. squad as the tournament approaches.

In his last eight matches, Reyna has been largely absent from the team. It is important to note that he was injured for five of those games, while in the other three, he was not selected for the starting lineup and remained on the bench.

Gio Reyna remains on Pochettino's radar

Despite all of this, the 23-year-old delivered strong performances under Argentine coach Mauricio Pochettino during recent international friendlies. Against Paraguay, he scored in a 2-1 victory over the South American side.

In the following match, he provided an assist in a commanding 5-1 win over Uruguay last November .

I think Gio was fantastic in November with us.

I think everyone praised him in his game against Paraguay, and then in the way that he was involved and committed with the team.

Pochettino told reporters on Tuesday, March 17, after naming his roster for friendlies against Belgium and Portugal.

Reyna is one of those players who may not receive many opportunities at the club level, but when he joins the national team, he often delivers memorable performances.

Before the last decision for the last roster for the World Cup, I think it's good to see players that maybe are not playing too much, like in that case of Gio."..."But that is a very talented player, and we know how he can add to the national team.

Pochettino said.

For the midfielder, earning a place has been complicated by his lack of consistent playing time in the Bundesliga . He has accumulated just 1,600 minutes over the past three seasons.

And he is capable to perform with us. Again, I think we really know that he's a very special talent and very special player. And I think to give the possibility, even if he's not playing too much in his club, he can be very useful for us.

Injuries have worked against the young player, and there are also tactical considerations that have not favored him. However, he remains one of the players under consideration by Mauricio Pochettino , suggesting that he may still have a genuine opportunity to make the World Cup roster this summer.