With only 12 minutes remaining plus stoppage time in Borussia Dortmund`s final Club World Cup group stage match on Wednesday, manager Niko Kovac clearly felt the job was done. They held a comfortable 1-0 lead over South Korea`s Ulsan HD, which wasn`t under threat given the final shot count of 28-3, essentially guaranteeing first place in Group F. A few of Dortmund`s starters, who had ensured the team remained unbeaten in the opening phase and secured a short break before their round of 16 match against Mexico`s Monterrey on Tuesday, were substituted. On came fresh legs – specifically, Carney Chukwuemeka and Gio Reyna.
For Reyna, those 12 minutes were not only his first appearance at the Club World Cup but also his longest stint in a Dortmund shirt since a 26-minute cameo on April 15 when they were chasing the game against Barcelona in a UEFA Champions League quarterfinal tie they eventually lost 5-3. It was a brief opportunity that gave Reyna little time to make an impression, something Kovac quickly addressed in his post-match comments.
“Gio and also Juju [Julien Duranville] played their first couple of minutes during this Club World Cup,” Kovac said. “We try to give minutes to every single player, of course. We want to win, and in the first half of the match, we delivered a top-level performance, so I was ready to bring on new players. In the midfield, we face high competition. There is a great group of players and Gio is one of them. He certainly has good qualities, but if you look at the other players, I think they are slightly more advanced at this time.”
Kovac`s simple and direct explanation about Reyna is indicative of the 22-year-old`s recent career trajectory. It lacks significant insight, reflecting the fact that five years after his breakout for Dortmund and the U.S. men`s national team, we`ve learned almost nothing new about his capabilities as a professional player. While glimpses of brilliant play as an attacking midfielder are easily recalled, he has so far been unable to build a substantial body of work that either proves or disproves the hypotheses about his potential. This monotonous routine has carried over to the national team, with Reyna being just one player on a squad that felt stagnant, even after a coaching change – that is, until now.
The Summer of Malik Tillman
Mauricio Pochettino`s summer experiment with an inexperienced Gold Cup roster has so far produced one significant development – the emergence of Malik Tillman.
The 23-year-old isn`t exactly a newcomer, having earned his first cap three years ago and carved out a role for himself with back-to-back Eredivisie champions PSV since then. Goal contributions are a hallmark of his game, tallying 25 goals and 17 assists across all competitions over the last two seasons for the Dutch side. There`s also a versatility to his play that allows him to fulfill a range of attacking midfield duties, whether operating in and around the opponent`s penalty area or driving the ball forward.
Tillman, much like Reyna, has always possessed the kind of skillset that could solve several issues in the USMNT`s unresolved midfield, but their situations aren`t identical – and that`s not solely due to Tillman`s valuable club reps. Tillman appears to be the first true beneficiary of Pochettino`s arrival, with the manager seemingly deploying the player in a manner that might remind some of Christian Eriksen or Dele Alli during the Argentine`s time in charge at Tottenham Hotspur. It has worked wonders this month, with Tillman bagging three goals and one assist in his last five matches for the national team, thus far emerging as the breakout star of their Gold Cup run.
This level of output is not only valuable individually but also helps compensate for the USMNT`s weaknesses, primarily in the forward line. The team`s search for a dependable No. 9 continues, with the player pool hampered by injuries to Folarin Balogun and Ricardo Pepi, while Josh Sargent is out of favor with Pochettino. Tillman has fit in nicely behind Patrick Agyemang, who has been performing well in the Gold Cup, continuing the USA`s long-standing need for goals from various areas of the pitch. Christian Pulisic is the usual source in this regard, but the more scorers, the better for the USMNT, making Tillman`s upward trajectory a welcome sight for a team that has longed for positive signals with the World Cup just a year away.
In essence, Tillman might be filling the void that seemed tailor-made for Reyna, finally introducing a sense of competition that many have hoped to see for the USMNT – and he might not be the only player doing so.
USMNT`s Attacking Midfield Race Heats Up
The USMNT has largely been in a holding pattern since the 2022 World Cup, collectively struggling to deliver on the potential many have recognized in them for over five years now. Disappointing performances in last year`s Copa America and March`s Concacaf Nations League finals have raised questions about whether there are untapped talents in the broader USMNT pool or if the team is destined to continue in mediocre form. The verdict on that collective question may still be pending, but there`s a genuine battle for the attacking midfield role that might not currently exist in other positions on the pitch.
While Tillman asserts his claim for a place in the lineup, Real Salt Lake`s Diego Luna is another player attempting to make his case. The 21-year-old has endeared himself to Pochettino in a way few players have managed so far, earning the start over Reyna in the Nations League third-place match in March and providing an assist for the USMNT`s only goal. He hasn`t yet put together a consistent series of similar performances, but if he also builds form during the Gold Cup in the way Tillman has, there`s a real possibility of Reyna falling even further down the depth chart.
This situation intensifies the pressure on Reyna to fulfill his own promise over the coming year – a recurring issue for the player. He hasn`t achieved double-digit league starts at the club level since the 2020-21 season. Although injuries contribute to this, it serves as a clear indication that Dortmund hasn`t been the right environment for him for years, with the present circumstances only highlighting this reality. He can`t even get minutes in the Club World Cup, a post-season tournament where Kovac has preferred players with tired legs after a demanding European season over Reyna`s relative freshness. Meanwhile, Tillman and Luna are gaining valuable real minutes in a different summer showcase tournament, the Gold Cup. The fact that FIFA rules prioritize the Club World Cup over the Gold Cup isn`t Reyna`s fault, but it feels like yet another missed opportunity for a young player who has spent more time on the bench than accumulating valuable game time at a competitive European club.
How Reyna responds to the pressure from players like Tillman and Luna potentially stepping up is a major question this summer. However, for once, the national team doesn`t have to bear the main burden of the consequences.
