Freddy Adu 2.0? Why USMNT star Gio Reyna is much more than that as Alexi Lalas reacts to ‘lucky’ accusation levelled at Borussia Dortmund playmaker

The United States have made a habit of anointing teenage wonderkids as the next big thing, with there seemingly an endless supply of promising players emerging from academy systems across the country. Many of those will never live up to the hype.

Adu is a serious case in point there, with the Ghana-born forward billed as the second coming of Pele by some after making his MLS debut for D.C. United at just 14 years of age. He did become a senior international, spending time with the likes of Benfica and Monaco in Europe, but struggled to fulfil his early potential.

Questions have been asked of whether Reyna is heading down a similar path, with struggles for form and fitness holding the 22-year-old playmaker back. He has 31 caps for his country and remains on the books of German giants Borussia Dortmund, but has started just 12 Bundesliga games for them since the 2021-22 season opened.

One American fan has said of Reyna on social media: “Freddy Adu....he's becoming Freddy Adu 2.0. He's lucky he's still hanging on to that bench role at Dortmund.”

Former USMNT star Lalas is not having that and has responded with: “No, certainly high hopes and plenty of hype around Freddy Adu. But much of it was due to the novelty of his age (14). When people started seeing him play there was a realization he may not be worthy of the hype. Despite struggles, Gio Reyna's play has inspired more confidence.”

Reyna’s contract at Dortmund is only due to run until the summer of 2026. That means – having seen him flop during a loan spell at Premier League side Nottingham Forest last season – a big decision is approaching on his future, with a call needing to be made on whether to cash in or thrash out fresh terms.