da imperador bet： The midfielder was limited to a bench role at the 2022 World Cup, so how can that change during this cycle?

da dobrowin： For the first time since Gregg Berhalter's return, Gio Reyna is back with the United States men's national team. That comes with plenty of obvious talking points centering around the pair's off-the-field relationship. Can they repair what was fixed? What will that look like? What will it take for everyone involved to move past a situation that became so ugly?

That's the off-field portion, though, and, while it is a priority, that's not the only piece of this puzzle that need's figuring out. At some point, Berhalter and Reyna will need to figure out the problem that got everyone into this mess in the first place: When the USMNT is healthy and in-form, is there a spot for Reyna in the starting XI? And, if so, where exactly?

At the World Cup, the answer to the first part of that question was 'no', and it ultimately led us down the winding path that followed. When assessing his options, Berhalter did not see Reyna as a player that should be a starter in the biggest of moments. It may not have been handled well by anyone involved, but that was the decision that was made.

Now, nearly one year later, what's changed? And, more importantly, what can change on the way to the Copa America and the next World Cup?

Getty ImagesReyna's role on the road to Qatar

Throughout Berhalter's first tenure in charge of the USMNT, Reyna was used primarily as a winger. The Borussia Dortmund star isn't a wide player in the traditional sense, though. He's not the get-to-the-byline type, nor the type that hugs the sideline to stretch out defenses.

No, Reyna's game saw him drift inside more than, say, Tim Weah. While Weah stretches defenses, Reyna's job was more about creating as he would drift inside and serve as a playmaker. Reyna's biggest asset is his ability to make things happen in the final third, and he's showed that plenty of times for club and country.

However, as World Cup qualifying began last cycle, the USMNT had to go long stretches without Reyna due to injury issues. And, as the World Cup rolled around, it was soon made apparent that his role in Qatar would be a reduced one.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesWorld Cup disaster

Anyone who follows American soccer knows the story by now. Reyna, early on, was told that he wouldn't play a big role at the World Cup. He didn't take it well and, soon after, everything began to spiral. Audio was leaked, a domestic violence incident came to light, a friendship was destroyed and a national team was plunged into chaos.

Yet, for all of the off-field chaos, it began with Berhalter's on-field decision. When assessing his roster, the coach decided what he wanted on the wings, and it didn't include Reyna. On one side was Christian Pulisic, who, let's be honest, is undroppable. On the other was Weah, whose speed and directness would give the U.S. a threat they would lack from their other two forwards. The decision paid off almost immediately, as Weah scored the opener against Wales and generally had a good tournament.

Reyna, meanwhile, was left on the outside looking in. It was later revealed that his reaction to being benched was far from ideal. That, hopefully, is all in the past now, though, as Reyna and Berhalter work through their issues.

What isn't in the past just yet, though, is what led to Reyna falling a bit behind in the first place: his struggles with staying healthy.

GettyFitness issues

Reyna's biggest issue throughout the last several years has been his own body. Unfortunately for him, it's broken down on him at some of the worst possible moments.

He missed nearly all of World Cup qualifying, although the U.S. did the business without him, and then missed chunks of the 2022-23 season with Dortmund. To start this season, Reyna was also out as he recovered from an injury suffered during the USMNT's Nations League triumph.

They say the best ability is availability and, despite all of the ability that Reyna does possess, he hasn't been available enough. The hope is that that will change as he grows into his body, allowing him to take the next step everyone believes he can.

But where will that next step be positionally? Well, there are a few options…

GettyMultiple positions

Reyna can play in a variety of spots on the field, and each comes with its own positives and negatives. He was pencilled in to just one of those spots, on the wing, last cycle, but according to Berhalter, that could change as this 2026 run gets underway.

"In terms of Gio, we see him being able to play three positions: central midfielder, attacking midfielder and winger," he said. "We use wingers in different ways. Sometimes the wingers are wide against the line and sometimes they're in between the lines. We see him as more of an in-between-the-lines winger, so those are the three positions he can be utilized in."