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U.S. men’s national team standout Gio Reyna enjoyed a milestone moment on Sunday setting a new record for Americans in Europe’s top five leagues with his goal in Borussia Dortmund’s 1-1 draw with Hoffenheim.
Reyna scored the game’s opening goal, his first for the club since May 2023. The play began when Jamie Gittens made a cross into the box, hoping the ball would find a teammate near the goal. A Hoffenheim player headed the ball away from goal but it instead fell to Reyna, who was feet from the penalty area. The midfielder got a touch on the ball before it bounced away from him, though Reyna caught up with no time and then took a powerful shot that landed in the back of the net.
Watch the goal below:
Not only was it Reyna’s first club goal in more than a year, it was also the 14th of his Bundesliga career. The 22-year-old became the highest-scoring USMNT player under the age of 23 in Europe’s top five leagues this century, per Opta. The record was previously held by Christian Pulisic, who scored 13 league goals between Dortmund and Chelsea before turning 23, the majority of which were at the German club.
Reyna’s goal also marks a turning point in his success at Dortmund, which had stalled in recent years. He made 30 appearances for the club in the 2022-23 season but the injury-prone player missed plenty of time that season, and the injuries continued to pile up as he fell out of favor at the German club. He ended up going on loan to England’s Nottingham Forest at the end of last season to seek more playing time but earned only 230 minutes over 10 games from January to May. It seemed likely that he would depart Dortmund last summer under new manager Nuri Sahin, but he ended up staying put.
He began the season with a groin strain that kept him out from September to November but has since played eight games for Dortmund. That includes Sunday’s game, which marked his second consecutive start for the team during a busy week. Reyna also played 73 minutes in their 3-2 loss to Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, marking his second appearance in European competition this season.
His ability to break back into Dortmund’s lineup marks another positive development for the USMNT, who are in the midst of ambitious preparation before co-hosting the 2026 World Cup. Mauricio Pochettino became the team’s head coach in September as they aim for a statement-making performance in a year and a half, while a large chunk of USMNT players are excelling in Europe’s top leagues.
Pulisic is the most noteworthy player in the midst of an eight-goal, five-assist season for AC Milan, but Reyna joins other notable USMNT standouts like Juventus’ Timothy Weah and Weston McKennie on the list of Americans carving out a place for themselves in Europe’s top leagues this season.
