The USMNT is set to begin its 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup campaign with a Group D opener against Trinidad & Tobago. With expectations high and hopes of ending a four-year title drought, fans were surprised to see one of the team’s brightest stars, Giovanni Reyna, missing from the roster—raising questions about his absence.
The Mauricio Pochettino era began in October 2024 with optimism and high expectations. But recent results, including defeats to Panama and Canada in the Concacaf Nations League Finals, have sparked concerns about the team’s progress under the Argentine coach.
Now preparing for his second official tournament as USMNT manager—and with the 2026 World Cup looming—Pochettino will have to navigate the Gold Cup without team captain Christian Pulisic. Reyna’s exclusion, however, has raised even more eyebrows.
Why Reyna isn’t part of the USMNT squad?
Giovanni Reyna won’t feature for the USMNT in the 2025 Gold Cup because he’s been called up by Borussia Dortmund to participate in the FIFA Club World Cup. Despite an inconsistent season with limited playing time, Reyna has made the cut for Dortmund’s squad under head coach Niko Kovač for the tournament held in the United States.
Reyna’s absence is a blow to the national team, but he’s not the only key player unavailable. Midfielders Weston McKennie and Timothy Weah are also set to miss the Gold Cup as they join Juventus in the Club World Cup.
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Why isn’t Christian Pulisic playing for the USMNT at the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup?
Back on home soil, Reyna is excited about the chance to compete on such a big stage. “This is going to be something that the U.S. hasn’t seen and the exposure for the sport in the next two years is really going to grow and grow and when you have teams like Dortmund and Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Man City, where all the best players in the world are playing, it makes you want to check in and follow,” he told DAZN.
Reyna also shared his belief in Dortmund’s chances: “We believe we can go into every tournament to try and win it, you know it’s going to be difficult, but we will try and make a run and see where it goes from there. The main goal is, for sure, to believe in ourselves and see where it goes.”
