Early on in his time at French side Strasbourg, Gio Reyna has managed to secure the consistent minutes he says he's been "desperate" to play in recent years.
After starting just five games for Borussia Mönchengladbach all of last season, the 23-year-old entered the international break on a run of four straight Ligue 1 starts.
That has included Reyna's first goal for the club, where he hopes he's finally found a platform to showcase the immense talent that has been seen all too fleetingly in recent years.
The early promise of Reyna's career at Borussia Dortmund has given way to consistent frustration, as injuries and coaching decisions have seen his playing time and development stagnate.
But Reyna has continued to be a figure of intrigue. There
are very few American players – or from anywhere really – who have the audacity and ability to pull off the outside-of-the-boot goal he scored against Paraguay in the World Cup.
The challenge has been to showcase that talent more consistently.
"As a player, all you want to do is really play," Reyna said on a call with media from USMNT camp on Monday, Sept. 21. "It was desperate at times over the last couple years just to be on the field, whether it was injuries or maybe the situation."
In France, Reyna appears to have finally found a club where he's earned the trust of his coach.
After a game earlier this month, Strasbourg coach Hugo Olivera said that Reyna was the "heart of the team" in his club's 4-2-3-1 formation.
"Hugo and I have a great relationship," Reyna said. "He's very demanding of me, as he expects a lot from myself and so do I."
So often seen as an up-and-comer in his career, Reyna now finds himself in a situation where he's a relative greybeard. Strasbourg has taken the concept of a youth movement to new levels, as the oldest player on the squad is 24.
"We're probably the youngest team in the top five leagues," Reyna said. "So part of the role that they asked me to come in and take on is to be a leader."
That may translate to the USMNT as well, where Reyna was called into a youthful roster that will kick off the journey toward the 2030 World Cup.
With 12 newcomers and an average age of less than 23, Reyna once again finds himself playing the unfamiliar role of veteran.
"It makes me feel a little bit old, but it's nice to have a lot of them here," Reyna said of the current group, which includes six players 18 or younger.
"I'm looking forward to getting to know them better on and off the field. So yeah, just here, try to help them, show them what we've built and what we're striving to build. And then obviously a lot of them are very, very talented or all of them are very talented. So we're just here to help have them be themselves and just enjoy their time with the team."
The USMNT will face Peru, Chile, Mexico and Canada in the newly expanded September-October FIFA window, with the first match set for Saturday, Sept. 26 against Peru.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Has Gio Reyna finally found club home? USMNT midfielder thriving at Strasbourg
