'Time for him to put up or shut up' - Former USMNT star Alexi Lalas says Giovani Reyna must move from Dortmund, warns he'll be under pressure even in MLS

U.S. international Giovanni Reyna has struggled to find his footing this season, making only a handful of appearances for Borussia Dortmund and remaining an unused substitute in each of the club’s last five league matches. With playing time hard to come by, all indications are that Dortmund are open to letting the American attacker leave this summer.

Former USMNT captain Alexi Lalas weighed in on Reyna's situation, expressing support for a potential move but warning that a change of scenery - even a return to MLS - won’t automatically revive his career.

“Look, we've talked about this over the last couple of years - nobody has been given more of a benefit of the doubt than Gio,” Lalas said on hisState of the Union podcast. “It’s time for him to put up or shut up when it comes to playing. He’s going to get opportunities. There are still people who see his potential and value, and will take a chance on him. I don't care if it's somewhere else in Europe or back in MLS - I just want him to get to a place where he has a chance to play.”

Lalas also cautioned that MLS wouldn’t be a guaranteed soft landing.

“Even if he comes back to MLS, it’s not like he’ll just walk into a starting lineup,” he said. “If he gets out there and the coach says, ‘What is this? I can’t use this,’ then that’s a problem. Just because you take a flight back to the United States doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy. There will be pressure, sure - but at some point, a coach has to do what’s right for the club and for keeping their job.”

The former USMNT and MLS defender also spoke about Chris Richards and his performance against Manchester City in last weekend's 5-2 loss for Crystal Palace. The USMNT defender scored to put the Eagles 2-0 up, only for the Cityzens to produce a stunning comeback and win.

“I will say that as a center-back, if and when you do score a goal, you like it to be in a winning situation because your first and most important job is obviously to defend," Lalas said on his podcast. "And here we're talking about a center-back. Oh, by the way, we're talking about it in the context of the U.S. men's national team that still doesn't know who the center-backs are going to be."

“And there is still a real question as to whether Chris Richards can rise to the occasion because he's been given incredible opportunities now. So I'm happy that he scored. That's great. You have a little moment. But I would much rather see him consistently starting and consistently posting clean sheets and being a part of a stingy defense that is going to translate to the national team."

Both Reyna and Richards are key parts of the USMNT setup, but both stars have struggled to find consistency over the last few years. Richards has managed to etch out a place for himself at Selhurst Park but has yet to produce consistent standout performances for the club.

Reyna, on the flip side, has struggled with injuries and other issues and is reportedly set to leave the club.

With the 2025 Gold Cup approaching, both American stars have a big year ahead of them.