The countdown is on until the USA’s finalized 26-man World Cup roster is released on May 26, and the questions become more pressing by the day. One player who sits on the fence is forward Gio Reyna.
FOX Sports’ Rob Stone joined First Things First for its weekly “World Cup Wednesday” segment, and did not endorse Reyna making the final cut this summer.
“I had high hopes that Gio Reyna would be the star for the U.S. at the 2022 World Cup,” Stone said. “I thought that was going to be his breakout moment. Turned out really kind of breaking up the USMNT. Does he deserve to be on this team? I’d say no.”
Reyna was a part of the 2022 World Cup roster that advanced to the round of 16 before falling, 3-1, to the Netherlands. However, his impact was minimal in their short-lived tournament run. Across four matches, Reyna appeared in two for 52 minutes — seven minutes against Wales and 45 minutes against the Netherlands.
In terms of this summer’s World Cup roster, Reyna’s recent activity with his club Borussia Mönchengladbach has not cemented himself as a frontrunner for a spot. Across 19 matches Reyna appeared in, he’s recorded just one goal and one assist.
Despite the 3-1 loss, Reyna found the back of the net for his time in the Bundesliga Campaign last weekend against Augsburg. While one goal is a start, Reyna’s roster spot is also at stake with other star forwards like Timothy Weah, Malik Tillman and Alejandro Zendeas.
Stone made it clear that Reyna is not fully counted out, but it’s not guaranteed that he’ll be on the pitch this summer.
“Will he be on this team? I think he’s got about a 30% chance to be on it because of this potential, that maybe he could do something for the U.S. men’s national team this summer,” Stone said. “But, he hasn’t earned it on the field because he hasn’t earned playing time with his club back in Germany. I’m alright if he’s not on the roster.”
From June 11 through July 19, 2026, FOX Sports presented its largest World Cup production and broadcast slate to date featuring all 104 matches live across FOX (69) and FS1 (35) with every match live-streaming on FOX One and the FOX Sports App.
All 104 tournament matches will air live across FOX (70) and FS1 (34) with every match streaming live and on-demand within both the FOX One and the FOX Sports apps. A record 40 matches, more than one-third of the tournament, will air in prime time across FOX (21) and FS1 (19).
