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Justin Ellis GFX 1-1GOAL

'One of the best moments of my life' - How Justin Ellis' USMNT debut became a dream with help from mentor Gio Reyna's bold prediction

A hometown goal was only part of the story for the 19-year-old forward, whose bond with Reyna offers a glimpse of the welcoming culture Mauricio Pochettino wants to build.

Ryan Tolmich

  • ORLANDO -- The night before Justin Ellis' big moment, Gio Reyna put his arm around the 19-year-old forward and promised him that it would happen. The two were sitting at the U.S. men's national team hotel, continuing to foster a relationship that began with Ellis' admission that Reyna had long been his favorite player. And, the night before his USMNT debut, Ellis' idol told him he was going to score a debut goal, and that Reyna himself would assist it.

    It took just four minutes for Nostra-Reyna's prediction to prove correct. Just moments into the USMNT's 4-1 win over Peru, it was Reyna's cross that found Ellis' head inside the box, igniting the Orlando City crowd to cheer for one of their own's dream moment.

    "Me and him have spent a lot of time together," Ellis said of Reyna, "and he was telling me last night before the game that he was going to assist me. It ended up happening, and I'm very grateful for that."

    Reyna was happy to deliver on that promise.

    "I told him I just want to give him assists," Reyna said. "He's working really hard at training and obviously performing very well in the MLS, so he deserves it."

    There was a second Reyna assist shortly after. In the immediate aftermath of Ellis' goal, the USMNT swarmed the teenage star as the fans erupted. The Orlando City starlet was then pushed out of the huddle and back in front of the adoring crowd. The person who had the foresight to push Ellis back out there? Reyna, who wanted to ensure Ellis made the most of the moment.

    "I think Gio just understood the moment, that I'm back home, and in front of The Wall as well," Ellis said. "It was super special."

    The whole day was a special one for one of MLS' fastest-rising stars, who made the perfect first impression in his USMNT debut.

  • A dream goal

    Justin Ellis, USMNT
    Getty

    Ellis needed just four minutes to turn his USMNT debut into a hometown dream, scoring in Orlando with an assist from his idol, Reyna.

    As the USMNT lineup was read aloud, there was an audible cheer for Ellis' name. He was the hometown kid representing Orlando in his home stadium. What a place to make your USMNT debut.

    That meant that it would always be a debut worth remembering, but Ellis ensured that the occasion would be marked by more than just a pregame cheer. His header came after just four minutes. Reyna admitted postgame that he didn't even know Ellis had scored.

    "Something was weird with the sun, where I couldn't really see if it went in," Reyna said. "I actually thought it went wide for some reason, and then I saw him run off. I was just wanting to give him a big hug, and I was super happy for him."

    Per Ellis' retelling, all he could hear at the time was Reyna screaming his name. Everything else, he said, was something of a blur. It took a moment for it to all hit him, both due to the familiarity and unfamiliarity of the occasion.

    "It was the perfect moment," he said. "I dreamed of playing, and I know I play in this stadium often, but to play in the stadium for my national team is unbelievable. I was just thanking God. It's probably one of the best moments of my life."

    The fact that it came alongside Reyna made it even more special.

  • Playing with your favorite player

    Gio Reyna and Justin Ellis, USMNT
    Getty

    Reyna's mentorship has been invaluable for Ellis through the build-up to Saturday's match.

    Ahead of USMNT camp, Ellis was asked who he was most excited to play with. His answer was Reyna, a player he'd been a fan of for a long time. On the day before his USMNT debut, Ellis was asked about what it had been like getting to know a player that he'd looked up to.

    "He's gonna let me know about this question you just asked," a bashful Ellis said. "He's gonna be making fun, but he's actually been so good to me in this camp. He's been, probably, the most talkative senior player to me."

    A few moments later, the two were out on the training field warming up together. The two pushed each other around and tried to nutmeg one another. A few hours later, Reyna promised Ellis that the two would connect for what ended up being his debut goal.

    Ellis, of course, is no stranger to playing alongside guys he looked up to. On the club level, he's been fortunate enough to call France and Atletico Madrid icon Antoine Griezmann a teammate with Orlando City, giving him the perfect role model to work alongside. Ellis, for his part, has made an impression on Griezmann, too.

    “He has an incredible talent," Griezmann said this summer, "and if he continues adding more just as he has in the previous two games, he’ll be a player for a top European team one day.”

    Ellis can now call himself a USMNT goalscorer, more evidence of his talent and more fuel for his rise. He is, however, one young star in camp, and one of many being mentored by senior players that they have long looked up to. That, of course, is by design. It's all been part of manager Mauricio Pochettino's plan.

  • A new generation, guided by familiar faces

    imago-sport-1083849299.jpg
    Sports Press Photo

    Mauricio Pochettino credits the USMNT’s senior players for helping newcomers settle in.

    When Pochettino selected his USMNT squad, he selected one split right down the middle. Of the 28 players in camp, 13 had yet to play for the USMNT. Another, George Campbell, had just one cap to his name.

    When assembling the roster, Pochettino wanted to see how his young players would step into the USMNT group. He also wanted to see how his USMNT group would welcome those young players and how he would lead them through the early days of their arrival.

    "The headline is that the senior players deserve massive credit," Pochettino said, "in the way that they treat, in the way that they guide, in the way that they support, in the way that they welcome, in the way that they create an environment that is very comfortable for them to feel like home. That is massive, massive value for us: to have this senior player helping in this way."

    "I think this showed that we were preparing, and, in the way that we were working with the federation, we were right," Pochettino added.

    Reyna is one of many to have taken on that challenge, but he's not alone. Tyler Adams has put his arm around two fellow New York Red Bulls products, Adri Mehmeti and Julian Hall. Chris Richards has continued his mentorship of Crystal Palace teammate Zavier Gozo. Miles Robinson and Auston Trusty have worked with new center back Neil Pierre, while Diego Kochen and Brian Schwake have been working alongside World Cup veterans Matt Freese and Chris Brady.

    "We knew we were going to play yesterday, and we have some mutual friends so that made us connect quickly," Reyna said of his new friendship with Ellis. "Our relationship has been great. He's a little brother here in camp for me, so he's been awesome."

    The evolution of Reyna into a big brother figure, meanwhile, has been a wild one. Still just 23, Reyna is now considered an elder statesman. He's experienced enough to have teammates like Ellis say they grew up watching him.

    "Gio's in the middle between these young guys and me," said captain Adams, who, at 27, is the fifth-oldest of the 28 players in camp. "To see a guy with that experience that's like, 'This is what I was doing four years ago', or having conversations and blending in, there's a buffer, which I think is important for a lot of these young guys to just feel comfortable in their surroundings.

    "I think we have a really good balance right now."

  • Staying hungry

    Justin Ellis, USMNT
    Getty

    Ellis shared his debut celebrations with family in Orlando, savoring a moment that would stay with him long after the final whistle.

    The balance Adams speaks of is, of course, just the start. The Peru win was the first game of a four-game set, one that sees this USMNT group fly all over the country to play real competitive teams. Next up is Chile and, after that, comes regional rivals Mexico and Canada. It isn't going to get any easier from here.

    For the night, though, Ellis was just eager to soak it all in. After the game, he looked for his family. He had to convince security to let them onto the field to celebrate with him. He wanted to share the moment with those who helped him get there. He also wanted to extend the moment for a bit longer.

    The reality is that it won't end soon. As Ellis prepared to leave his home stadium as a USMNT player, he admitted that his big moment would be running through his head for quite a while.

    "A lot of messages and WhatsApps, just responding to everyone," he said. "I'm more chill now but, yeah, I don't know if I'm gonna be able to sleep too much tonight."

    There will be more nights, starting on Tuesday against Chile in St. Louis, but it's safe to say this first one is even better than Ellis could have hoped. Scoring your first goal on an assist from a player you idolize in front of a crowd used to cheering your name? No one could have seen that coming... except Reyna, apparently.