'Make that next step' - Is Gio Reyna ready for bigger USMNT World Cup role if Christian Pulisic misses Australia clash?

Shortly after scoring the biggest goal of his young career, Reyna admitted something to the press: he hasn't been shooting enough. His loved ones have been trying to convince him to do that more in recent weeks. More than anything, they've been trying to lift his confidence up to get him ready for those game-changing moments.

"I know I have a good shot, but maybe I'm in my position, and I look to pass first," Reyna said after the match. "They want me to be a little bit more selfish at times. My natural thinking of the game is to get players involved, and I always like to pass. I love getting an assist just as much as scoring goals. So, yeah, I just try to do whatever helps."

Against Paraguay, what helped was a stunning trivela. Played in by Alex Freeman, Reyna drove towards the box before curling a shot with the outside of his foot. Paraguay's goalkeeper, Orlando Gill, had little chance. In just eight minutes, Reyna had 14 touches, but with that one, he reminded everyone of the talent he has always had and still has. Despite the drama and the injuries, Reyna is still a "special" player, as Mauricio Pochettino describes it, and special players do things.

The U.S. may or may not be without a special player on Friday, Pulisic, and, if he can't go, could Reyna provide the answer the USMNT will need in their star's absence?

While there is plenty of focus on what Reyna can't or doesn't do, and we'll get to those later, it's worth starting with what he can. At his core, Reyna is an incredibly creative player, one who routinely steps up in big moments in a USMNT shirt, in particular.

Friday is, of course, a big moment. There are few bigger than a World Cup game, particularly on home soil, and when breaking down track records, Reyna's is among the best in this group when it comes to big games. He routinely stepped up in major Nations League clashes, and we've already gone over what he brought to the Paraguay game.

If Pulisic misses Friday's match, the U.S. will need that creative spark. Australia will be extremely difficult to break down, as they showed against a Turkish team with some of the most talented young midfielders in the world. To break down the Socceroos, any team will need a few moments of individual brilliance: a dribble, a pass, or, perhaps, a trivela out of nowhere to shock a goalkeeper.

Reyna brings more of those moments than most, and, with his goal this past weekend, he'll have surely recovered some of the confidence that has ebbed and flowed over these last few years. Certain games, meanwhile, require certain players, and a game against a team expected to be in a low block is seemingly one that requires a player like Reyna.

There are major questions, though, about how Reyna would fare against this Australia team, in particular.

Over the last few years, Reyna has dealt with multiple ill-timed injuries. As a result of those injuries, he's never really seemed able to dial it up physically. So many key running stats paint Reyna in a certain light, one that shows a player who is either unwilling or unable to hit top speeds many times over the course of a game. That is, at least partly, why he hasn't played nearly as much as he would have liked over the last few years.

"Deep down, I really trust in my ability and what I can do any time I step on a field," he told GOAL earlier this month. "Of course, it's not as easy when you know maybe you're playing 20 minutes. So, of course, the game-to-game rhythm matters, and I think that's what I'm looking at to really take the next step in my career."

That lack of pure speed doesn't matter against Australia. It seems likely that Australia, not the USMNT, will be the team looking to use speed on the counter. Reyna's primary task, should he start as an attacking midfielder, would be to break down a resolute Australia defense in the moments where they're sitting back.

The thing about the Australian backline, though, is that it's very, very physical. Pulisic himself learned that in the fall when he suffered an injury when he was hacked down in midfield. The Socceroos backline features three players over 6-foot-3 or taller and no shortage of players willing to make a tackle. They're a physical bunch, and they pride themselves on that fact.

Back to Reyna, there are very real doubts about how he would handle that physicality. Of course, he encounters that in the Bundesliga, but this game could be a different type of beast. Given his injury history, is Reyna able to play in a game that could devolve into something fairly ugly?

There are others who can: Alejandro Zendejas or Brenden Aaronson, for example. Weston McKennie or Malik Tillman could play higher to let someone like Sebastian Berhalter or Cristian Roldan into the XI. Maybe Tim Weah gets the nod as a way to stretch the defense out wide to open up the one gap the USMNT needs.

Or maybe it is Reyna, whose pros might just outweigh his cons if called upon.

Ultimately, Reyna can make a difference in a variety of ways. He could start to try to unsettle Australia early. He could come off the bench, as he did against Paraguay, in an effort to change the game. For Reyna, there's little difference. Regardless of what the outside world thinks, he says he's willing to accept whatever role he's given, no matter how big or small.

"I'm always confident, so that was never really a problem for me," he said, "but, for me, it's simple: just whatever I can do to help this team, I do. Whether it's playing 90 minutes, not playing at all, or as a sub in the game, like I did [against Paraguay], I'm just trying to help this team and be positive in any way possible."

The Paraguay goal reminded everyone what was possible for Reyna. Maybe Friday will give him another chance to do just that in a massive USMNT match.