'Residual risk' - No more excuses for Gio Reyna, as transfer from Dortmund to Gladbach will either reboot his career or make him latest 'what if' in American soccer

Dortmund, ultimately, were disappointed to see him go, largely because it was never supposed to end this way. A fee of just $8.25 million, if all incentives are met, a handshake and a goodbye - this wasn't supposed to be how Reyna left the club.

He was supposed to leave like friends Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham - riding high and on his way to a megaclub for a club-altering amount of money.

It didn't happen that way. Injuries took their toll, preventing Reyna from reaching his best after his initial breakthrough season. At age 17, he played 1,976 Bundesliga minutes for Dortmund. From ages 18-21, he played a combined 1,694. On a soccer level, that's unacceptable, a frustrating look at how injuries can derail form and, ultimately, playing time.

On a human level, it was no doubt unnerving. This wasn't what Reyna wanted or planned, but this was the hand he was dealt.

“I arrived at BVB as a 16-year-old kid and over the past six years I’ve grown into the person and player I am today," Reyna wrote on social media. "Every time I stepped onto the pitch in black and yellow I gave everything I had for this club. I'll carry so many unforgettable memories with me, from my Bundesliga debut to lifting the DFB-Pokal and all the moments in between. Dortmund has shaped me in ways I’ll never forget, both on and off the pitch.

"To the staff, my teammates and above all the fans: thank you. Your support through every high and low has meant the world to me.”

Reyna won't be the only one affected by this exit. Dortmund prides itself as a talent developer, one that doesn't just usher young stars into their first team, but move them on towards bigger dreams when the time is right. It's what they've done with so many. Reyna won't leave the club on that sort of high - he'll head down the road to a local rival at seemingly his lowest point, both professionally and, in the club's eyes, value-wise.

“We have a long history with Gio," said sporting director Sebastian Kehl. "He enjoyed a meteoric rise at BVB at the beginning of his career, culminating in the cup triumph in 2021. Unfortunately, his development in recent seasons has not gone as we had all hoped. That's another reason why it is now time for him to start a new chapter in his sporting career.

"We wish Gio every success and hope that he stays fit and gets the game time and self-confidence he needs to rediscover his strong form of old in Monchengladbach."

During their time together at Dortmund, Haaland dubbed Reyna "The American Dream." He now makes his way to Gladbach in a move that, at the time that moniker was bestowed, seemed impossible.

Gladbach sporting director Roland Virkus couldn't believe his good fortune. A talent once regarded as one of the best in German soccer fell right into his lap, and for a reasonable fee, too. There's a reason that happened, of course, and the Reyna of 2025 isn't the Reyna of 2022. Gladbach believe they can get him there, and Virkus was surprised that his club has stumbled into the opportunity to do so.

"It's a transfer where we normally have no chance, no chance, but he wants to make a fresh start with us," Virkus said. "That's why we should be proud that the boy has chosen Borussia. [He can] play as a hanging striker, on the wing, at No. 10, or directly behind a central striker.

"There's always a bit of residual risk, but we're getting an outstanding young player, something we wouldn't get under normal circumstances."

Gladbach are a good but not great Bundesliga team. They haven't won the league since dominating German soccer in the '70s. They've finished 10th in four of the last five seasons. Prior to that, there was a run inside the top half of the Bundesliga but, for some time now, the club has been the definition of mid-table.

For Reyna, that is, of course, is a step back from Dortmund, a club that is routinely near the top of the league despite some tougher seasons in recent years. That, in theory, should open the door for more playing time.

As Virkus said, there are a number of ways Gladbach can use Reyna once he's up to speed. The club, generally, plays in a 4-2-3-1 and, while there are decent players in the attack, they don't have any real world-beaters in the three spots behind the striker. Reyna, when healthy, has shown he can be a game-changer, scoring two goals last season in just 350 minutes while putting up seven in 625 minutes back in 2022-23.

We'll have to see where Reyna fits on the field as he adjusts to life at his new club. That will be made much easier, though, by the presence of Reyna's closest friend in soccer.

Joe Scally has known Reyna since they were kids. They came up together in the U.S., establishing themselves as the jewels of New York City FC's early academy days. When Scally moved to Germany, Reyna helped him with the transition. The two are best friends. Now, they're teammates on the club level.

"Most of our conversations are not about soccer at all," Scally said last year. "What he does and what everyone does with their career, they kind of just keep to themselves. Of course, we talk but, when we hang out, we just do normal 21-year-old stuff. We play Xbox all the time.

"Of course, it's been a difficult time for him. He deserves to play and deserves all the minutes he can get, but we aren't really talking about that stuff or whatever you want to call it; it's more just like normal, everyday life stuff."

There's no overstating just how important that is for a player. Even when they weren't at the same club, Scally and Reyna served as each other's sounding boards and support systems. Now, with Scally behind him, Reyna has arrived at Gladbach for this turning point.

The transition will be made much easier with Scally alongside him to help welcome him to his new club. For a player such as Reyna, who has spent the last few years so uncomfortable and will now deal with the nuances of a transfer, any sense of comfort is appreciated, particularly as he looks to start off on the right foot.

This move isn't just about a feel-good story, though. This isn't about Reyna playing with his pal, but about getting back to his best, even if we don't really know what that looks like at the moment.

Make no mistake about it: this is Reyna's much-needed chance. For years, there have been two sides: those who have blamed Dortmund and those who have blamed Reyna. Now that the two have separated, there are no excuses now. Reyna has to perform for Gladbach and, if he wants to make the 2026 World Cup roster, he has to perform this season.

Reyna, of course, has one World Cup on his resume, but everyone knows that was no dream tournament. He contributed in a small part before his playing time engulfed American soccer in an all-time controversy, one that, unfortunately, has greatly impacted this USMNT program's trajectory on the road to the 2026 World Cup on home soil.

It is also, unfortunately, the defining moment of Reyna's career. All of those things he achieved in those early years have largely been overshadowed, simply because he's had so few on-field successes since that infamous post-World Cup chaos.

He's still young, though, and there's still plenty of reason to hope. There's clearly a talented player there, which is why Dortmund believed in him to begin with. It's why they were disappointed to see him go and why Gladbach were so eager to welcome him. It's why there still might just be a future version of the USMNT with Reyna as a centerpiece, even after all that's happened over these last few years.

It's not hard to figure out how Reyna gets there: it all comes down to performance. If Reyna can perform, he'll get his career back on track. If not, he'll be the latest "what if" in American soccer. He's made his move, one that could ultimately save his career. Now, it's all on his shoulders. Good or bad, it's now all up to Reyna.