Just 50 days away from the United States 12th World Cup appearance, their final stage of preparation is hinging on their finalized roster, which will be announced May 26. With key players like Christian Pulisic suffering goal droughts, attacking midfielder Gio Reyna could stand out as an underrated weapon.
Former U.S. men’s national team coach Bob Bradley joined “First Things First” to discuss how someone like Reyna could potentially benefit the squad, despite his complicated history of performance and playing time.
“We see certain moments when Gio pulls off a play, and we think we need more of that. Yes. But when he’s not playing regularly with his club team, you have to then look hard at his fitness level, his ability to come in and handle a role,” Bradley said on Wednesday’s edition of First Things First.
Reyna will have to compete with elite players at his position, like Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Malik Tillman. However, Reyna’s talent is not the glaring concern for his role in Pochettino’s team, it’s his form.
The 23-year-old striker only made four starts and 11 substitute appearances, for his club Borussia Mönchengladbach. Despite his lack of playing time, looking at Reyna’s true strengths could be a decisive factor in his role on the World Cup stage.
“Certainly every team needs a player that can come on the field when you need a goal, when the other team is defending deep and make a play to unlock the defense. And so that’s the plus of Gio and that’s where Pochettino is going to have to compare him to a few other guys,” Bradley said.
Reyna was part of Pochettino’s squad during the March friendlies against Belgium and Portugal, both losses. He did perform well during the November international window, scoring against Paraguay and nabbing an assist off the bench in the win against Uruguay.
“Me and Mauricio have a great relationship, speak often,” Reyna said back in March about Pochettino. “I guess you could say it was sort of one of his more difficult decisions, or I guess controversial decisions to maybe bring me in. Again, can’t appreciate it enough, love this team, love this staff, love this group of people.”
2026 FIFA World Cup: How To Watch
The World Cup will run from June 11–July 19, 2026. Spread across three countries, the tournament will culminate with the final on July 19 at New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. All 104 tournament matches will air live across FOX (70) and FS1 (34) with every match streaming live and on-demand within both the FOX One and the FOX Sports apps. A record 40 matches, more than one-third of the tournament, will air in primetime across FOX (21) and FS1 (19).
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