Pochettino Praises Reyna After Standout Performance with the United States National Team
The coach of the United States men’s national soccer team, Mauricio Pochettino, has expressed his admiration for Giovanni Reyna, calling him a “nightmare” for Paraguay after his outstanding performance in the 2-1 victory at Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania.Reyna, 23, started for the U.S. national team for the first time since July 2024. She scored her ninth goal in 33 international appearances, heading in a cross from Max Arfsten in the fourth minute. In addition, she played a crucial role in the winning goal in the 71st minute, with a cross of hers that a Paraguayan defender deflected and reached Folarin Balogun for him to score.Currently at Borussia Mönchengladbach, after a less brilliant stint at Borussia Dortmund, Reyna seeks to consolidate and meet the high expectations placed on him, after being affected by injuries and the lack of regular playing time. This match was his first start, both at club level and with the national team, since September 14th and only the second since March 1st. Pochettino emphasized the need for Reyna to gain more playing time at his club, given that there are only three matches left for the United States before the roster for the 2026 World Cup is defined.“The way he reads the game and finds the free space between the lines, I think that was a nightmare for Paraguay, and he did a very good job,” Pochettino commented after the match.
Mauricio Pochettino
Regarding his goal and his return to the national team, Reyna stated to TNT Sports after the match: “It was a perfect week, honestly happy to be back, playing with this group, with this coaching staff and a little gift for me [with the goal].” After a complicated start for Pochettino, the USMNT remains undefeated in its last four matches and continues to build momentum towards the World Cup, which they will co-host in seven months. Despite this, Pochettino believes there is still room for improvement.“He scored, he did a very good job. I am very happy with him. He showed why he was a starter and confirmed that he is a player who needs to improve, because he needs to play more at his club, but today we could see that he was great,” added Pochettino.
Mauricio Pochettino
Pochettino also expressed his discontent over a fight that broke out in stoppage time of the second half. American defender Alex Freeman and Paraguayan captain Diego Gómez tried to retrieve a ball that had gone out of bounds, which led to an altercation involving both benches. Paraguayan Omar Alderete, who was not playing, received a red card, while American midfielder Cristian Roldan was cautioned with a yellow card.“I think we create opportunities, we were better. A team that I think is very competitive and difficult to beat. But that’s not enough. We are happy, [but] we need to move forward, because we need to improve, improve, improve and get to the World Cup at our best, at our peak”, commented the Argentine coach.
Mauricio Pochettino
After the victory, Pochettino and his team will close this international window with another friendly against Uruguay on Tuesday in Tampa, Florida.“That kind of situations are very, very, very dangerous, very dangerous. I think we must pay attention, because anything can happen. I don’t like it, I don’t like this kind of situation. I don’t know how this started. I can’t say anything because I need to see or watch on television why it all started,” said Pochettino.
Mauricio Pochettino
