146 minutes played, nil goals or assists—this is how one can describe the 2025 domestic season of Gio Reyna with Borussia Mönchengladbach. At this rate, forget making the national team; even the club itself would start questioning the presence of such a player. Sure, the young midfielder had his own reasons; a career that has mostly been spent sidelined due to injuries. Then again, a man like Mauricio Pochettino believes in giving second chances and eventually decided to call up Reyna for this month’s fixtures against Paraguay on Nov. 14 and Nov. 18 vs. Uruguay—with a catch, of course.

Cause there’s always one, isn’t it? Well, consider it a probationary period for the 23-year-old, as Mauricio Pochettino has set clear expectations: “If a player doesn’t behave well, he’s not going to be with us,” said the Argentinian tactician while speaking with Fox Sports’ Doug McIntyre. A stern reference to Reyna’s old beef with ex-coach Gregg Berhalter.

To recall, the former Borussia Dortmund star was literally on the verge of being sent home during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. “We were ready to book a plane ticket home — that’s how extreme it was,” remarked Berhalter. Reason mentioned “Clearly not meeting expectations on and off the field,” after the team’s round of 16 elimination by the Netherlands. Even the Athletic reported that his conduct was questioned by many USMNT veterans, especially after he “threw his shin guards after not being subbed” into the opening 1-1 tie with Wales.

Of course, the drama hadn’t ended there. Gio, being a son of two-time U.S. World Cup captain Claudio Reyna and former women’s national team winger Danielle Egan, fueled more controversy, resulting in even his parents getting involved by publicly dragging Berhalter’s past controversial episodes and slamming him for mistreating their son, which eventually led to the 52-year-old’s firing.

But as Mauricio Pochettino puts it, “the past is in the past,” as he believes a young, talented player like Gio Reyna deserves a clean slate. “We cannot say that this guy or another needs to disappear because he didn’t behave. We always need to give the chance,” added the former Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea boss. “But at the same time, they need to show what we expect from them.”

With this, Pochettino hopes to see Gio Reyna earn his status as one of the crucial players on the team, or simply put, a chance “to show that he’s more mature, and behave,” in the very way that the team expects him to. Yep, that’s how much of an extra mile the Argentinian tactician is going for a player, who you won’t believe hasn’t played a full game on a club level since March 2022. But why?

Mauricio Pochettino is the best that Gio Reyna could ask for!

“Sometimes you can be surprised,” responded Mauricio Pochettino. Of course, the November window won’t be the first time that Gio Reyna will play under Poch. The youngster has made one appearance for the former Tottenham Hotspur boss during the Concacaf Nations League third-place match against Canada. Having lost 2-1, Reyna had made a 21-minute cameo off the bench. So by calling up the youngster again, Pochettino hopes to see Gio make an impression that is enough to see him earn another call-up next year.

In fact, we bet no better than Pochettino, who understands Reyna better than anyone. That’s because the USMNT boss considers the Bundesliga star’s previous fallout with Gregg Berhalter as a situation where the player himself might not have understood what was expected from him in the first place. So, considering these upcoming fixtures, it’s pretty much obvious that Poch couldn’t have been clearer with what he expects from Reyna.

After all, failure to behave well would not only affect the player’s chances of performing but even dismantle the team’s desperation for a “perfect symphony,” a non-negotiable in Pochettino Ball. “The synergy needs to be perfect. If not, we’re not going to have the chance to be successful. We have to have the same energy as a team to fight. Because it’s not only about the starting 11. You can be on the bench and then enter the pitch and be the most important player.”

So the only task for Gio Reyna is to understand that, be it a starter or bench warmer, when you are in Mauricio Pochettino’s team, everyone is equal and carries a chance to make an impact, anytime, anywhere. It all now falls back on the player’s zeal to see how much he is ready to go the extra mile.

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