Gio Reyna is back - but is there a place for the Borussia Dortmund star in Gregg Berhalter's USMNT line-up?

Throughout Berhalter's first tenure in charge of the USMNT, Reyna was used primarily as a winger. The Borussia Dortmund star isn't a wide player in the traditional sense, though. He's not the get-to-the-byline type, nor the type that hugs the sideline to stretch out defenses.

No, Reyna's game saw him drift inside more than, say, Tim Weah. While Weah stretches defenses, Reyna's job was more about creating as he would drift inside and serve as a playmaker. Reyna's biggest asset is his ability to make things happen in the final third, and he's showed that plenty of times for club and country.

However, as World Cup qualifying began last cycle, the USMNT had to go long stretches without Reyna due to injury issues. And, as the World Cup rolled around, it was soon made apparent that his role in Qatar would be a reduced one.

Anyone who follows American soccer knows the story by now. Reyna, early on, was told that he wouldn't play a big role at the World Cup. He didn't take it well and, soon after, everything began to spiral. Audio was leaked, a domestic violence incident came to light, a friendship was destroyed and a national team was plunged into chaos.

Yet, for all of the off-field chaos, it began with Berhalter's on-field decision. When assessing his roster, the coach decided what he wanted on the wings, and it didn't include Reyna. On one side was Christian Pulisic, who, let's be honest, is undroppable. On the other was Weah, whose speed and directness would give the U.S. a threat they would lack from their other two forwards. The decision paid off almost immediately, as Weah scored the opener against Wales and generally had a good tournament.

Reyna, meanwhile, was left on the outside looking in. It was later revealed that his reaction to being benched was far from ideal. That, hopefully, is all in the past now, though, as Reyna and Berhalter work through their issues.

What isn't in the past just yet, though, is what led to Reyna falling a bit behind in the first place: his struggles with staying healthy.

Reyna's biggest issue throughout the last several years has been his own body. Unfortunately for him, it's broken down on him at some of the worst possible moments.

He missed nearly all of World Cup qualifying, although the U.S. did the business without him, and then missed chunks of the 2022-23 season with Dortmund. To start this season, Reyna was also out as he recovered from an injury suffered during the USMNT's Nations League triumph.

They say the best ability is availability and, despite all of the ability that Reyna does possess, he hasn't been available enough. The hope is that that will change as he grows into his body, allowing him to take the next step everyone believes he can.

But where will that next step be positionally? Well, there are a few options...

Reyna can play in a variety of spots on the field, and each comes with its own positives and negatives. He was pencilled in to just one of those spots, on the wing, last cycle, but according to Berhalter, that could change as this 2026 run gets underway.

"In terms of Gio, we see him being able to play three positions: central midfielder, attacking midfielder and winger," he said. "We use wingers in different ways. Sometimes the wingers are wide against the line and sometimes they're in between the lines. We see him as more of an in-between-the-lines winger, so those are the three positions he can be utilized in."

We'll start with the wing spot, since that's what Berhalter talked about most. It'll be tough for Reyna to crack the XI out wide, just as it was last cycle. Still, it's not impossible.

As we said earlier, Pulisic is entrenched in one spot, and that isn't changing soon. Weah, though? Maybe that spot could come up for grabs. The Juventus star is playing as a wing-back at club level, and while that shouldn't impact his spot with the USMNT too much given the similar requirements, it could at some point. There's also the fact that, at times, Weah has been bumped out of Juve's XI by Weston McKennie, who, at least temporarily, has seemingly played his way back into midfield.

The fact is that Weah and Reyna bring two entirely different profiles and therefore comparing them is like doing so with apples to oranges. In Berhalter's system, the one we've seen for the past few years, the coach calls for apples, though, or, in this case, Weah.

Because of that, maybe Reyna's best chance at getting back to the XI could be in the midfield, and there's data to back up that notion.

Breaking up the MMA midfield of McKennie, Yunus Musah and Tyler Adams won't be easy. However, at least for this camp, we don't have the full unit, just the two Ms.

Adams is out having suffered a recurrence of the hamstring injury that ruled him out for around six months, leaving just McKennie and Musah as presumed starters for friendlies against Germany and Ghana. The big question is if Berhalter looks at that fact and takes a chance to invert the midfield, or if he uses it as an opportunity to look for an Adams back-up?

In terms of the latter, there are a few options in this camp. Luca de la Torre has a bit more finesse than Adams, but he can be a deep-lying playmaker rather than a destroyer, offering a different wrinkle. Newcomer Lennard Maloney definitely is a destroyer, and he could earn his first cap this window. Johnny Cardoso completes the midfield picture, and he's a player that can play in a number of spots.

But what if Berhalter flips it and goes with two No.8s and a No. 10? That's where Reyna comes in.

We saw during the Nations League what that could look like. Reyna's assist for Folarin Balogun against Canada showed what he can be: a connector, one that makes sure the new USMNT striker isn't isolated and is getting service throughout.

It's a system that may not work in every game, as there will be some where the U.S. needs a bit more steel in the center, but there will be moments where it would be crazy not to put a bit more attacking juice on the field. It seems that's Reyna's best bet, as he'll hope to see a bit more 4-2-3-1 after years of 4-3-3.

The problem is that we likely won't get this answer for a while. We definitely won't get it immediately. Berhalter has already said Reyna will only play limited minutes against Germany and Ghana as the USMNT staff looks to build his match fitness up, with the 20-year-old having only made one substitute's appearance so far this season.

"How many minutes can we give him on the field that he can build up in a safe way and then go back to Dortmund and really propel him to make a big impact for his club? We're going to be creative with the minutes," Berhalter said. "We want to certainly get him on the field and work through both the Germany game and see what position he plays, and then in the Ghana game, same thing: seeing how we can get him in different positions throughout the camp on the field."

Still, this camp will give us a glimpse into Berhalter's mindset. Is Reyna still that winger fighting an uphill battle or is he a No.10 that can offer the USMNT a different wrinkle? Maybe he's both, and that feels like the likely answer.

Much can change, and much will change, on the road to 2026, and Reyna's development with and outside of the national team will be one of the most important storylines to watch throughout the next few years.