Americans Abroad: Tactics and trends - Gio Reyna making the most of Gladbach role as Folarin Balogun’s all-around impact grows

The numbers show just how much things have changed for Reyna. 

Last season, Reyna played just 350 minutes for Borussia Dortmund. This season, he's already at 311 with Borussia Monchengladbach. It's December, so that's great news, as Reyna is now truly starting to find his feet in the Bundesliga. It's worth diving deeper into Reyna's status, though, as building up a player of his talent level is a bit more complex than a "minutes played" stat.

Given his injury history, it's notable that Reyna has now started each of Gladbach's last three games. It's something he hadn't done this cycle yet, as injuries and form prevented him from ever really locking down a real role with Dortmund. Now, with that behind him, the American star is fit and seemingly solidifying his place with Gladbach, not just by playing but contributing.

He hasn't been credited with a goal or assist yet, but Reyna has made things happen. Just this past weekend against Wolfsburg, his dangerous cross was headed right into the back of the net for an own goal. It showed something that American fans will know well from his performances in a USMNT jersey: when Reyna has the ball at his feet, things happen.

Gladbach boss Eugen Polanski is seeing that. He's gone so far as to compare Reyna positively with Gladbach stalwart Florian Neuhaus, saying that the team has seen little drop off with the 10-cap German international out with injury.

“We can almost replace [Neuhaus] like-for-like,” Polanski said. “He [Reyna] perhaps has a slightly more attacking profile, is a bit better in the space between the lines, and isn’t the same clear playmaker as Flo. He’s made extremely good runs and improved from game to game. I’m extremely happy.”

American fans will be, too. In the years since his big Dortmund breakthrough, which saw him play nearly 2,000 minutes, Reyna has never played more than 650 minutes in a season. He's on pace to match the latter mark in minutes this time around, and, with the World Cup on the horizon, that's exactly what the doctor ordered for a player who could still make his mark next summer despite all that's gone on this cycle.

For strikers, goals will always carry the most weight. They’re the clearest measure of success, but they don’t tell the full story. While finishing remains central to the role, the margins between a good forward and a great one are often found elsewhere - and that’s where Balogun is beginning to separate himself.

The goals, of course, are easy to spot. Balogun has five in his last eight club matches and has scored for the USMNT in each of the last three international windows. Those moments make the highlights. What’s less visible - but increasingly important - are the details that don’t.

Per FBRef, Balogun is trending well in all of the typical striker categories: shots, expected goals, shot-creating actions, to name a few. He's trending even better in what we'll call "the little things". He's in the 98th percentile in progressive passes received with 8.75 per 90. He's in the 89th percentile in touches in the penalty area, too. And then, when he does get the ball a bit further back, he's in the 90th percentile in progressive carries.

What do those numbers mean? Well, to simplify them, they show that Balogun knows how to find space. He knows where to go to get the ball, particularly in dangerous areas. He runs into places where he can create danger, which then turns the focus to actually making the most of that danger. That part, of course, is streaky, but, at the moment, Balogun is on the right sort of streak according to those goal numbers above.

When strikers excel in the finer details correctly, the goals usually follow. That’s the case for Balogun right now, as he’s showing his intelligence and timing just as clearly as his pace and finishing.

Balogun isn't the only striker scoring goals. Now finally fit, Pepi is making up for lost time by smashing shots into the back of the net, too.

Pepi saw his four-game scoring streak end on Tuesday after finding the net against Volendam, Heerenveen, Atletico Madrid and Heracles. In the match before that run, he also provided an assist in PSV’s stunning win over Liverpool. Even with the streak halted, Pepi remains in form, showing the same sharpness and all-around impact he displayed before his injury earlier this year.

With that four-game scoring streak, Pepi became the first American since Aron Johannsson to go on such a run for a Dutch club. And, with his goal off the bench against Atletico Madrid, Pepi now has four contributions as a substitute in the Champions League this season, putting him one behind the record, which is held by Kylian Mbappe, Ryan Babel, and Jurgen Rische. Whether he's starting or coming in later on, Pepi is creating big moments. It's just what he does.

Lennard Maloney hasn't been with the USMNT in a while. He earned his first and only caps back in 2023, long before the Mauricio Pochettino era. Maloney's most recent performance was certainly eye-catching, though.

In Mainz's recent 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich, Maloney broke a Bundesliga record. In that match, he covered 9.18 miles, the most covered by a player since the league began tracking the statistic back in 2011-12. In truth, that was almost exclusively what he did. He had the fewest touches of any outfield player with 18 and attempted just 10 total passes. Maloney's job was simply to make life hard for Mainz, and he did that by covering ground and racking up defensive stats.

It's easy to criticize the lack of attacking numbers Maloney put up, but context matters here. This was a game against Bayern Munich, one which Mainz would be expected to get thrashed in. They didn't, largely because players like Maloney buckled down, did the dirty work and, ultimately, ran their asses off.

Does a performance like that lead to a USMNT recall this late in the cycle? Unlikely. It is worth noting, though, that if Maloney can make a difference against Bayern, he probably can make his mark against just about anyone, albeit in this highly specific way.