Gio Reyna Scores a Screamer, Then Announces He's Having a Baby

The Goal First, Because It Was Ridiculous

Let's set the scene. The U.S. men's national team, playing in front of a home crowd that has waited its entire life for this moment, puts together a 26-pass sequence that culminates in Reyna curling the ball into the net off the outside of his foot. According to the New York Post, it will almost certainly go down as one of the best team goals of the entire tournament. Exclamation mark on a dominant opening win.

Christian Pulisic, who has seen Reyna train every single day, was not even surprised. 'We see stuff from him like that every day,' Pulisic said. 'It's not like it's a crazy surprise and he deserves it.' High praise from a guy who plays for AC Milan and knows a thing or two about quality finishes.

Then He Dropped the Other Bombshell

After the goal, Reyna did two things. He covered his ears, which he described as an inside joke with close friends and refused to elaborate on further. Then he tucked the ball under his shirt. If you've watched soccer for more than fifteen minutes, you know what that means.

When reporters caught up with him afterward, the New York Post reports he spelled it out without any hesitation: 'My wife's pregnant, if that's the one you're talking about.' The 23-year-old said he had known for a couple of months and had been waiting for the right moment. Scoring a gorgeous goal in the opening game of a home World Cup apparently cleared the bar. 'This sort of felt like it,' he said. 'I already sent her the picture; she's seen it too. It was a great moment for us.'

His wife, Chloe, apparently approved of the announcement method. Which, honestly, is the most important part of this whole thing.

The Redemption Arc Nobody Can Ignore

Here is where the story gets a little more weight to it. Four years ago, Reyna was nearly sent home from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar under circumstances that the New York Post describes as 'arguably the biggest scandal in US Soccer's history.' His behavior, and the behavior of his parents, became a saga that overshadowed the entire tournament for American fans.

So when Pochettino kept insisting, through months of skeptical questions, that Reyna deserved his spot on this roster despite barely playing at club level for Borussia Monchengladbach, people rolled their eyes. Again and again the manager was asked to justify the pick. Again and again he said Reyna's individual quality demanded it. Friday night was the answer to all of those questions, delivered at roughly ninety miles an hour off the outside of a 23-year-old's right foot.

Asked directly about 2022, Reyna said it was not on his mind at all. And given what he pulled off Friday, you believe him.

His Family Told Him to Shoot More

One genuinely charming detail from the New York Post's reporting: Reyna's wife and parents have apparently been on his case to take more shots. This is the kind of tactical advice that usually gets laughed out of the room when it comes from family members, except in this case they were completely right.

'I think I should,' Reyna said when asked if he agreed. 'If it happens in the next couple games, I'll take the same opportunity and hopefully get the same result.' The man scored one of the goals of the tournament and immediately started thinking about the next one. His parents named his dog Melo, after Carmelo Anthony. A baby and a World Cup goal in the same night seems like a reasonable upgrade in stakes.

Pochettino's patience, as it turns out, was not a coach losing his grip on reality. It was a coach who knew something the rest of us were too impatient to wait for.