Borussia Dortmund’s Giovanni Reyna impresses against Werder Bremen

Borussia Dortmund’s Giovanni Reyna had an impactful performance In the club’s clash with Werder Bremen this past weekend.

Borussia Dortmund fans having watched the Weder Bremen game this past Friday will have been overjoyed with the performances of quite a few players in black and yellow, but one in particular got more time than usual to strut his stuff and stamp his mark on a game this time around. US international Gio Reyna was brought on early in the second half, and his performance was an impactful one to say the least.

Reyna had quite an impressive international break with the US men’s national team, particularly in his country’s last game against Ghana, where he scored two goals. His performance seemed to really spark something in him, as once subbed on for Dortmund, he did his best to make the game his own. Much of Dortmund’s passing went through the young American, and he created a slew of chances for his side both centrally and out wide. Close to the end of the game in particular, Reyna was responsible for quite a few impressive plays, including some pinpoint passes into the box, and a very late switch to Adeyemi that offered the opportunity to cut the Bremen defense open.

Reyna’s impact on the pitch isn’t surprising in the least, not only because of the aforementioned good form with the national team, but also his contributions last year as a super sub. While he didn’t score or assist on this occasion, his presence on the pitch really opened additional creative avenues for the team to explore and added a level of depth we’ve seen less than usual of this season. Despite only having limited minutes on the pitch across the last year, the USMNT player’s numbers speak for themselves: 0.63 non penalty goals, 3 shots, and 4.63 shot creating actions per 90 minutes over the course of the last year make him one of the better attacking midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues.

What I found particularly striking, and impressive, about Reyna’s display on Friday was a deviation from his usual tendency to go down at the lightest of touches. it is something that Reyna has been criticized for in the past, but against Bremen we saw a player looking to stay on his feet and really try to propel his team forward without the help of the referee. It was a performance of maturity that will hopefully see the “American Dream” get more time on the pitch, as he has the skill set to really help Dortmund in the middle of the park, on top of being a valid goal threat for opposition sides to keep in mind when they face Die Schwarzgelben on the pitch.