USMNT boss Greg Berhalter admits Gio Reyna's lack of minutes at Nottingham Forest is 'concerning' but insists attacker has justified March camp inclusion

At a press conference on Wednesday after announcing his 23-man roster for the upcoming CONCACAF Nations League, Berhalter revealed that Reyna's November performances with the USMNT were enough to warrant his decision to call him up. In two matches vs Trinidad and Tobago back in November, Reyna scored one goal in a 3-0 victory for the U.S., continuing a strong 2023 on the international side despite his struggles on the club level.

"It's always concerning when guys aren't getting regular minutes but what we know about adapting to different leagues is sometimes it takes a while," Berhalter said. "And, in Gio's, case, he is coming from the Bundesliga to a very high-tempo Premier League. His team in particular is very robust, very high energy on the counter attack. We're not surprised that it's taking them a little bit but we believe that he'll be able to get it done in the end. For us, he has performed well in this last year and we thought that was enough to include him in this squad."

Since arriving in the Premier Leaguer after a January loan move from Borussia Dortmund, Reyna has accumulated just 39 minutes across five matches. His largest cameo was a 17-minute substitute appearance against Newcastle, where Forest fell 3-2.

Now, with the CONCACAF Nations League just over a week away, followed by this summer's Copa America and potentially the Paris Olympic Games, Reyna's future is on the line.

The USMNT will take on Jamaica on March 21 in the CONCACAF Nations League semifinals. With a victory, they'll be thrust into the finals of the competition against the winner of Mexico-Panama, but a loss would send them into the third-place game.

As for Forest and Reyna himself, they take on Luton Town on Saturday before players leave for the international break.