With the January transfer window set to open once again, there’s renewed talk about where Giovanni Reyna will end up next. Injuries have plagued his game time at Borussia Dortmund. Last season, the American even tried to turn around his fortunes with a loan spell at Nottingham Forest. Amid all the pressure, former USMNT star goalkeeper Tim Howard has called for fewer shots to be taken on the youngster as he’s only 22 and still has a long career ahead of him. 

Everyone expected Giovanni Reyna to follow in Christian Pulisic’s footsteps – Do well at Dortmund for a few seasons, then move to a bigger club and establish himself as one of the best global talents. However, injuries at Signal Iduna Park have limited the American to around 100 appearances over the last five seasons. Despite this, Tim Howard believes Reyna is a generational talent, with the best yet to come.

“This is a world-class player, he has generational talent,” says Howard on the ‘Unfiltered Soccer’ podcast. “He’s 22 years old, he’s a baby, you know how much pressure he’s had on his shoulders? His dad was the captain of the USMNT, those aren’t easy shoes to fill”. Gio is the son of Claudio Reyna, who has played for big names like Bayer Leverkusen, Sunderland, and Manchester City. 

“I’m excited for him because, over the next couple of years his growth and maturation, I think is gonna skyrocket” added Howard. Considering the legacy of his father, who is an inductee into the National Soccer Hall of Fame, the pressure on the youngster is even more now that he’s finally injury-free. 

Reyna made a solid return, starting in Dortmund’s home game against Hoffenheim for the first time in a long while, where he broke the deadlock for the Black and Yellow. However, the hosts dropped points as Jacob Bruun Larsen scored a late injury-time equalizer. Speaking of injury time, Unfiltered Soccer co-host Landon Donovan recently faced backlash for his opinions on Reyna.

‘Should have never left the MLS’ – Donovan on Giovanni Reyna

“You are a soccer player, not a soccer practicer,” said Donovan, highlighting that if Giovanni Reyna never left New York City FC, he’d have been injury-free and made over 300 appearances for the MLS side. Donovan’s comments quickly came under fire, with many mocking him for comparing the MLS to European football.

Former USMNT star Eric Wynalda was quick to defend Reyna and so was Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher. Both echoed the sentiment that just because the LA Galaxy forward couldn’t make it in Europe doesn’t mean others can’t either.

Hopefully, Giovanni Reyna gets more playing time and gradually becomes a regular under Borussia Dortmund manager Nuri Sahin and USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino. Going into the 2026 World Cup, fans are eager to see the midfielder donning the red, white, and blue on home soil.