All eyes on Gio: Reyna returns to the field at Dortmund - but will USMNT star be able to get over winter from hell?

Giovani Reyna hasn't started a competitive match since November 11, and it's something of an understatement to say a lot has changed since then.

Reyna has gone to a World Cup, been benched, ruffled some feathers, apologized, been called out, did some calling out and seen his family cause perhaps the biggest controversy in American soccer history by bringing up a decades-old domestic violence case in response to his lack of playing time.

Does that cover it? Does that explain how insane this has all gotten since we last saw Reyna actually start a game of soccer?

It's safe to say Reyna's life has changed dramatically since we last saw him for Borussia Dortmund, and it certainly hasn't changed for the best. However, as Dortmund get set to resume their Bundesliga campaign on Sunday, a return to club soccer does give Reyna something he so desperately needs: a chance to change the narrative that has completely overshadowed his ability on the field.

Dortmund will face Augsburg on Sunday in their first game after the Bundesliga's winter break. Heading into the second half of the season, Dortmund sit sixth in the Bundesliga, well within striking distance of the Champions League spot that is always the expectation for the club.

And if Dortmund are to make that push towards the top of the league, it's likely that Reyna will have to play a part. The second half of the season is vital for both the club and the player, both of whom have some work to do.

It's been so long since we've seen Reyna at his best, as he's been limited to just nine starts for Dortmund over the last two years. Injuries have robbed Reyna of two key years of development, and they've robbed Dortmund of one of the best young talents in the world today.

Because that's what Reyna is, even if it has become easy to forget since we last saw him in a Dortmund shirt. Unfortunately for Reyna, his talent has suddenly become massively overshadowed by a controversy that will - fairly or unfairly - follow him for the rest of his career.

What has gone on over the last two months will always be part of his story, unfortunately. Many will see him as entitled or spoiled. Many will see his parents as meddlers who took things so far that it set an entire federation on fire. That's something all involved will have to live with.

But, for Reyna, the best way to change the narrative is on the field, and he'll now have the chance to do just that at Dortmund. How he responds to all of this will go a long way toward defining the perception of him. If he rises above it and shows glimpses of the player everyone knows he can be, everything can and will be forgotten at some point. But, if he wallows or sulks, if this controversy continues to weigh him down, it could change the trajectory of his career.

He'll likely play a key role down the stretch as long as he stays healthy. Dortmund are a team begging for a player like Reyna to step in and take their game to the next level. Sebastien Haller is back after his cancer diagnosis, giving Dortmund a new striker up top, but, in many ways, the team needs Reyna to show off the creativity and skillset that anyone who has ever seen him play knows he has.

The thing that made all of this so frustrating, that makes his parents' involvement all the more bizarre, is that Reyna is truly talented enough to overcome it on his own. He is perhaps the most skilled American player we've ever seen. He didn't need his parents' interference to make it as a national team player.

Yes, he was benched at the World Cup and, on a personal level, that certainly hurt. But that was less about Reyna's talent and more about a combination of his attitude and the good form of Christian Pulisic and Timothy Weah. Pushing back against Reyna's benching effectively discredits the work done by Pulisic and Weah, who were among the USMNT's better players at the World Cup.

But the World Cup is done; we're on to the 2026 cycle. According to Earnie Stewart, Reyna is expected to be a part of that cycle, despite all that has happened. When the U.S. A-Team reconvenes later this year, Reyna may very well be a part of it.

He'll likely have some work to do to mend some relationships and prove to the coach, whoever it is, that he's learned from all of this. He'll have to show that he's ready to work, ready to buy in and ready to be a teammate willing to work for the good of the group. Reyna will need to build up some goodwill but, just 20, he's young enough to do it. Few players are ever defined by the mistakes they make at 20 years old.

But the road towards all of that can begin this Sunday. The time is over for social media statements, family bickering, controversy and blame. After waiting over a month, Reyna can finally get back onto the field and show who he is.

It's an opportunity he's likely been waiting for, and one he won't want to waste. So much has changed over the last two months, but how he responds to it over the next six will define the next step in Reyna's career.