USMNT Coach Ambitiously Compares Giovanni Reyna to Diego Maradona After Skill Display Against Mexico

The USMNT have a good thing going with their current generation of players. Stars like Weston McKennie and Christian Pulisic are great leaders for the team with a lot of quality, and on the other hand, they have young players like Giovanni Reyna with a lot of potential.

The Borussia Dortmund star is still only 19 and is improving his game day by day. He plays in a good Dortmund team with superstar Erling Haaland as the center forward, and can only get better from this point on. Meanwhile, he keeps putting in some amazing performances for his nation, like the one against Mexico in the World Cup Qualifiers.

USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter sees visions of Diego Maradona in Reyna

He came on in the second half of the match and almost helped his nation seal the win. However, the match ended up being a 0-0 draw, and yet, Reyna’s class showed through. He picked up the ball near his own penalty box and went on a run, beating Mexico’s defenders five times before finally being tackled.

It was an amazing display of skill and control, and even though he couldn’t finish the chance, it showed USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter what he could do with the ball.

“Mexico was the host of the ’86 World Cup where Maradona scored his wonderful goal, and I had visions of that when Gio was dribbling. Unfortunately, he didn’t finish it off or get an opportunity to finish off but again, I think he made a solid impact and he showed what type of playmaking and attacking quality he has,” the manager said.

Giovanni Reyna and his performances for Dortmund

While comparisons with Maradona might be a bit premature, Reyna has a really high ceiling as a player. The young American has struggled with injuries this season, and despite starting with two goals in three games, he then missed six months of the season.

Regardless, he made his full return on 13th March, and played three games for the German club, getting an assist. It’ll be interesting to see if he can regain his confidence, and if his run for the USMNT is anything to go by, it’s all back again.

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