Landon Donovan would give Gio Reyna blunt USMNT warning ahead of World Cup appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
As USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino nears the May 26 announcement of the final U.S. World Cup roster, one of the big questions is whether Gio Reyna will be on the 26-man squad. National team legend Landon Donovan says he would likely include the son of a former USMNT captain, but would give Reyna a stern warning before doing so.
“If I’m Pochettino, I go to him and say, ‘Gio, there is every chance you don’t play one minute this summer. There’s a chance you play a lot of minutes. But whatever happens, I need to know you’re going to be a good teammate, on board, keep your mouth shut, keep working, and help the group. And if you’re willing to do that, I’m bringing you,” Donovan told fellow USMNT legend, Tim Howard, on their Unfiltered Soccer podcast.
While Gio Reyna is talented enough to make the 2026 World Cup roster, there are several issues that come along with including him.
One problem is that Reyna has not been healthy or playing all that much for his club team, Borussia Mönchengladbach in Germany, when he is. Reyna missed five games in January and February 2026 and has played only 82 minutes since the new year.
The more overarching concern—and the one that Landon Donovan is referencing here—is that Reyna clashed with former USMNT manager Gregg Berhalter and was rarely used in the 2022 World Cup due to his rumored bad attitude and lack of hard work.
Pochettino, the former Tottenham, PSG, and Chelsea manager, is much more accomplished on the international soccer stage than Berhalter. Plus, the issues between Gio Reyna’s U.S. soccer royalty parents—Claudio Reyna and Danielle Egan—and Berhalter date back to their college days together. So, the personal issues with Gio on the USMNT may no longer apply.
All that said, it’s fascinating that a plugged-in USMNT icon like Donovan thinks Gio Reyna still needs a stern talking-to before his inclusion in the 2026 World Cup.
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