DUESSELDORF, Germany (AP) 鈥� How far can the power of friendship get you at the World Cup? With and Joe Scally in the team, the United States might just find out.
Reyna and Scally are old friends who’ve had a blast playing together this season at German club Borussia Moenchengladbach and both for the this week.
鈥淭he chemistry鈥檚 there and it will always be there,鈥� Reyna said this month in a joint media availability with Scally.
鈥淲e鈥檙e already close, but it feels like we鈥檝e gotten even closer, which felt impossible, but it’s been a good year together,鈥� Reyna said.
He added his wife is friends with Scally’s fiancee and even their dogs are buddies.
Reyna last year his friend was the 鈥渃herry on top鈥� in his decision to join Gladbach to revive his career this season after injuries and a controversial time at the 2022 World Cup.
Scally argues their bond brings on-field benefits.
鈥淥n the training field, in the locker room, in the car rides every day, I think we鈥檝e definitely enjoyed every day because we know it doesn鈥檛 last forever,鈥� Scally said. 鈥淚 think we understand each other very well on the field. We want to play together more than we have. In the time that we do play together, something good normally comes out of it.鈥�
The 23-year-olds were youth players together at New York City FC a decade ago and have both made their names in Europe but the on-field similarities end there.
Scally is a versatile, reliable defender who rarely misses a game. Reyna鈥檚 a creative, unpredictable attacking midfielder who can make a sudden impact in games but has been with fitness and injury issues for large parts of the last few seasons.
It’s the second World Cup appearance for Scally and Reyna and follows a dispute which overshadowed Reyna’s time with the team in Qatar in 2022.
Reyna played only twice off the bench and then-U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter said after the tournament that an unnamed player, later identified as Reyna, was for a lack of effort in training.
Reyna鈥檚 parents 鈥� Claudio and Danielle Reyna, both former national team players 鈥� lobbied the U.S. Soccer Federation for more playing time for Gio and contacted the USSF about a three-decades-old domestic violence allegation involving Berhalter and the woman who later became his wife 鈥� Danielle鈥檚 former college roommate.
Reyna told the AP last year he鈥檇 now handle the 2022 incident differently 鈥渋n certain ways鈥� and his actions stemmed from frustration, but the dispute wasn鈥檛 鈥渃ompletely鈥� his fault or that of his family.
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