The once-promising USMNT midfielder is nearly 22, and lack of playing time has stagnated his progress

If you're a Gio Reyna fan, you've seen this movie before.

Reyna's season started as most of his other games have started over recent years: on the bench. Borussia Dortmund's campaign began last weekend with a lopsided DFB-Pokal win over a lower-league team, and Reyna once again had a front-row seat to it all.

It didn't matter that Dortmund were cruising 4-1 against Phonix Lubeck with most of their starters on the field. Reyna sat on the sidelines as Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, Julian Brandt and Karim Adeyemi started, and then as Julian Duranville and Donyell Malen came off the bench. The Dortmund attack is still crowded and, even when the club is smashing the opponent in their way, Reyna is still crowded out.

With just days, not weeks, left in the transfer window, that fact feels even more important. Reyna is at an important tipping point in his career, a moment in which he can no longer afford to waste time. Just being at one of the biggest clubs in the world isn't helpful anymore, not as much as, you know, actually playing.

For years, Reyna looked as if he would be Dortmund's next big thing, the up-and-coming talent who would follow the likes of friends Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham into superstardom.

That hasn't happened, at least not yet.

So what's Reyna to do? He may not ultimately control the answer, but for his sake, the solution better end in his playing real, tangible minutes at some point this season. His development and his career, in many ways, depend upon it.

GettyLessons from last season

It seemed as if Reyna had finally reckoned with it all last season. After spending the first half of the campaign largely on the bench, he left Dortmund on loan. The problem? The choice of club simply exacerbated the situation.

Reyna's move to Nottingham Forest was a mess from the beginning. He never got particularly close to cracking Nuno Espirito Santo's starting XI. In total, he made just nine appearances totaling 230 minutes. For those less inclined to do math, that's less than two-and-a-half full games played.

That wouldn't be as concerning for a younger player – there's actually something to be said about learning and training at a big club. Until a certain age, minutes aren't the only measure of success – but that changes as a player matures.

At nearly 22, Reyna is no longer a "young player." He's at the point in his career in which he needs less watching and learning and more actually playing, more meaningful opportunities on the field.

AdvertisementGettyPulisic comparisons

Generally, comparing careers is a fool's errand. There are so many factors and circumstances that add nuance to these sorts of discussions. No career is the same, for a variety of reasons.

Reyna, though, does have a blueprint at Dortmund. It's the one put together by Christian Pulisic during his time with the club.

Pulisic left Dortmund for Chelsea at age 21, the same age Reyna is now. By that time, he'd turned himself into a $71M (£58m) player, one that the Blues were willing to spend big on long before Todd Boehly's brand of ownership chaos.

During his time at Dortmund, Pulisic played in 127 matches. He scored 19 goals and even won a trophy. In total, he'd played 7,501 minutes, going from academy star to regular during his four years with the first team.

Reyna has not made that leap.

(C)Getty ImagesReyna's stats

It's now been four-and-a-half years since Reyna made his Dortmund debut. In soccer, that's a lifetime.

Over those four-plus years, Reyna has played in 121 matches and scored 17 goals for the German giants. That part, realistically, lines up with Reyna's USMNT teammate Pulisic. However, there's a deeper story to tell here.

In total, Reyna has played just 5,132 minutes for Dortmund over that span, nearly 2,500 fewer than Pulisic. And making matters worse, more than 2,698 of those minutes came during the 2020-21 campaign. Over the last three seasons, Reyna has played less than half as much as he played just in that first real breakout year.

It's a troubling trend and a major concern. Just a few short years ago, Reyna looked like a player ready to push for more and more. At this point, it appears that – at least on the club level – he's regressed. If anything, rather then press his case, he's struggled to get the opportunities that are absolutely crucial for him to grow.

GettyA social media hint?

Largely, transfer rumors surrounding Reyna have gone quiet. Last season, he was linked with clubs in England, Spain, Italy and France. So far this summer, there hasn't been much of note.

There's still time for that to change. The transfer window closes on Aug. 30 and, if we know anything, it's to expect a flurry of late rumors and deals. Clubs often wait for the last minute, and Reyna is the type of fire-sale signing that could help a club both in the present and future. He remains extremely talented, after all, with considerable upside, either for a potential signing club or as a sale down the line.

Reyna, though, has hinted that he could stay. A recent Instagram post saw him hail Signal Iduna Park as the "best stadium in the world" with Reyna looking forward to the 2024-25 season. Was it a cagey public relations move? Or could it mean that he will actually stay for one last chance to prove himself?