Gio Reyna came off the bench once again in Borussia Dortmund's 1-0 win over Werder Bremen.
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Reyna comes off benchDortmund win 1-0Club goes top of Bundesliga
The U.S. men's national team star came off the bench in Friday's victory, which sees Dortmund temporarily go atop the Bundesliga table. The appearance was Reyna's second of the season, with the midfielder only recently returning from an injury suffered on USMNT duty during the summer.
Reyna recently featured in the USMNT's friendlies against Germany and Ghana, putting in a star performance in the latter with two goals.
GettyWHAT HAPPENED?
Reyna started the match on the bench, watching on through a dull first 45 minutes. Aside from one big chance that produced a spectacular save from Michael Zetterer, the first half was relatively quiet.
In the second half, Edin Terzic turned to the American to provide a spark on the bench, with Reyna entering for Marius Wolf in the 62nd minute. He created a chance almost immediately, with a cross from the right-hand side going just a bit too long.
Five minutes into Reyna's time on the field, though, Dortmund found their goal. Reyna was moderately involved, as he passed the ball to Emre Can, who played a fantastic through ball into the path of Julian Brandt. From there, Brandt's tidy finish gave Dortmund a lead they wouldn't relinquish.
Reyna created a few late chances, one on his own via a blocked shot and one that was just missed by Sebastian Haller, but it wouldn't matter as Dortmund earn all three points.
AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE
The win sees Dortmund go back on top of the Bundesliga table, at least temporarily ahead of this weekend's matches. A win from either Leverkusen, Stuttgart or Bayern would see one of them go top, as the Bundesliga title race remains tight to start the season.
As for Reyna, the American star continues to work his way back from injury, having only made his first appearance off the bench in a win over Union Berlin just before the international break.
Getty ImagesUSMNT IMPACT
Reyna's appearance comes fresh off a superstar performance against Ghana during the international break that saw the midfielder score twice in a lopsided 4-0 win.
Throughout that break, Gregg Berhalter spoke about how important was to build Reyna up physically after his injury lay-off. As a result, Reyna played just 45 minutes in each of the two games during the break.
Seeing him return to Dortmund and get into the match will be good news for the USMNT. All involved, though, will hope that these substitute appearances can turn into starts in the near future as he continues to rediscover his confidence and fitness.
Getty ImagesGOAL'S RATINGS
Gio Reyna (7/10):
Very, very lively off the bench. Nearly set up one chance and had a good look on goal himself. Showed how dangerous he can be as he pushes for more minutes.