Month: May 2026

Gio Reyna was just 19 years old when he boarded a plane from Germany to Doha just before the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. He was expecting to play a major role on a United States squad filled with fellow youngsters who were talking the biggest stage in sports for the first time in their careers. Because the national team’s previous generation had failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup — the Americans’ first miss in more than three decades — just only player on the squad, veteran defender DeAndre Yedlin, had ever played in global soccer’s quadrennial showpiece. The USA survived the group stage, tying trophy favorites England and beating Iran, before being outclassed by the Netherlands in the round of 16. Reyna, famously, barely played. Almost four injury-plagued years later, the now 23-year-old is desperate to get to another World Cup, this one on home soil. And he’s armed with lessons from the past. “I think just individually and collectively, we were all very, very young and maybe a little bit inexperienced at the time,” Reyna said Tuesday from Germany on a video conference with reporters hosted by Borussia Mönchengladbach, his club. “And then in the end, it sort of just happened that we came up against a Holland team that was a little bit more experienced, a little bit better, a little bit more savvy with the game, and in the end, it was almost too much for us.” “Obviously, it’s an amazing experience,” he continued. “I learned so much from that.” Unlike last time around, Reyna isn’t a lock to make the 26-man American roster this time around. But he’s making a late push. The New York native and son of two-time U.S. World Cup captain Claudio Reyna (and former women’s national teamer Danielle Egan) scored his first goal of the Bundesliga campaign last weekend. Perhaps more important, he logged 32 minutes off the bench — the most he’s played in any match since December. Reyna was sidelined by a muscle ailment midway through the season. But he is approaching full fitness now — up from the 85 percent he said he was in November after scoring for the U.S. in an exhibition win over Paraguay. The tournament co-hosts will face the same opponent in its World Cup curtain-raiser in Los Angeles on June 12. “I don’t know if any player is really ever 100-percent — there’s always knocks and things that come up at this point in the season,” Reyna told me on Tuesday. “But yeah, I feel ready to play sort of 90 minutes, and feel that I can give my max at this moment in time. So I guess you could say 100 percent. I feel very, very fit. I feel very sharp. And all I really want to do is show it on the pitch.” Pochettino, the former Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain manager, will name the U.S. World Cup roster on May 26. “I have a great relationship with Mauricio,” Reyna said of the Argentine, who used him off the bench in a pair of World Cup tune-ups in late March. “When we’re in camp, he’s very invested, very communicative, very open and honest with what he wants to see from the team and from players individually.” Still, several World Cup hopefuls who probably deserve a World Cup invite won’t make the team. After all, Pochettino has looked at more than 70 players since replacing former coach Gregg Berhalter in late 2024. He can’t take them all. Reyna admitted that the uncertainty is difficult as what could be a career-defining choice looms. “It’s on everyone’s mind,” he said. “No spot is guaranteed or safe.” Asked if he believes he’s done enough to earn a spot, Reyna said it’s “a hard question to answer.” “If I say ‘no’, I’m not backing myself, and if I say ‘yes’ it’s the arrogant answer, where I feel like I should be there,” he said. “I love the staff, I love the players, I love the national team. Obviously, whatever happens, happens. But I’m really hoping and wanting to be there to make an impact and achieve something great with the team. But the decision is out of my hands.” That doesn’t make it any easier. “I try not to let it sort of take over my day and stress me out too much,” said Reyna. “But it is in the back of my mind.” It’s not the only thing. After making just two cameos as a substitute in 2022, Reyna would relish a bigger role at this World Cup, too. Despite his lack of playing time at club level since Qatar, he’s been a consistent performer for his country, helping the U.S. win Concacaf Nations League titles in 2021, 2023 and 2024. “Of course I’d want to play more in this upcoming tournament,” Reyna said. “But at the same time, you learn that you’re just trying to do whatever you can to help the team. “It’s just about the collective,” Reyna added. “It’s about the team doing whatever we can to do something special for our country.” USA ROSTER PROJECTION: DOES REYNA MAKE THE CUT?​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

The Spring King is back. Traded to the St. Louis Battlehawks last month from the Dallas Renegades after serving as that team’s backup, quarterback Luis Perez got his first start this season — and the San Diego native made it count. Perez threw for 204 yards and a touchdown in his new team’s 31-20 victory over the visiting Columbus Aviators to kick off Week 7 of the UFL season. Big-play receiver Hakeem Butler finished with three receptions for 77 yards for St. Louis and Kylin James finished with 41 rushing yards and two scores. The Battlehawks have won three straight and four of their last five games. “I’m very pleased with Luis, he did a good job,” St. Louis head coach Ricky Proehl said about Perez, who replaced Harrison Frost as the starter. “Getting in this week, he had a good week of practice. I can really see him just continuing to get better, with that relationship with our wideouts and just getting on the same page. It was good to see.” With the victory, St. Louis (5-2) jumped into a tie for the top spot in the league with the Orlando Storm (5-2) and the D.C. Defenders (5-2) with three weeks left to play. The Storm escaped with a 24-23 victory on the road over the Houston Gamblers (2-5), while the defending champion Defenders lost for the first time since Week 1, a 30-13 setback to the visiting Louisville Kings (3-4). In the final game of the week, the Birmingham Stallions (3-4) moved into a tie with the Renegades (3-4) and Kings for the final playoff spot with a 21-17 overtime victory over Dallas. Here are my takeaways from Week 7 of the UFL: In one of the biggest, bone-jarring hits you’ll witness on a football field, Defenders edge rusher Derick Roberson peeled back and pancaked scrambling QB Chandler Rogers, dislodging the football for a D.C. recovery in what appeared to be a game-changing play for his team late in the first half. But instead, Roberson was called for unnecessary roughness for leading with his helmet on the play, leading to a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty and a first down for the Kings. Rogers had to leave the game for a play due to the hit, but three plays later found Tarik Black for a 9-yard touchdown. The big hit sparked a 27-0 run by the Kings as they snapped a three-game losing streak. Rogers finished with 201 passing yards and two touchdown passes, while Black hauled in five catches for 49 receiving yards and two scores. The Kings scored 17 points off three D.C. turnovers. The Defenders are tied for the league lead with 11 giveaways. “I ain’t gonna lie, the hit turned me up,” Rogers said. “It was like my Joe Burrow moment, for real. When everybody was ‘oohing,’ that really pissed me off. I’m playing mad right now.” Jordan Ta’amu threw for 353 yards and two touchdowns for the Defenders but also had two interceptions. The Kings also sacked Ta’amu four times. Dorian Thompson-Robinson kept the good vibes going in his second start for Birmingham. The UCLA product completed just 46% of his passes for 159 yards and two scores. He also had a bad interception early that led to the first touchdown for the Renegades. However, Thompson-Robinson executed when it mattered most, completing an 18-yard pass to Jaydon Mickens for a touchdown with just over two minutes left to force overtime. The Renegades had a chance to win the game in regulation, but Birmingham defensive lineman Jayden Peevy blocked Colton Theaker’s 53-yard attempt as time expired. Thompson-Robinson then rushed for a two-point conversion and found Mickens for the other conversion to help the Stallions earn their second victory in a row. The Renegades have lost four in a row after starting the season 3-0. “You’ve got to have some of these wins in your season where you battle through and just find a way to win,” Birmingham head coach A.J. McCarron said. “And I thought it was a great job by the boys tonight.” Orlando head coach Anthony Becht sought to erase the bitter disappointment of two losses in a row and falling out of the top spot in the standings. While it wasn’t pretty, Becht will take the one-point victory on the road against the Gamblers. Houston had a 65-yard field goal with just over a minute left that could have won the game, but kicker John Hoyland’s attempt fell well short of the goal post. One of the best offenses in the league, the Storm punted seven times and were outgained by Houston 415-185 in total offense. One of the top passers in the league, Jack Plummer, totaled just 152 passing yards, but he did throw for two scores and didn’t turn the ball over. However, the defense bailed out Orlando by forcing two Houston turnovers, including an interception returned for a score by defensive back D.J. James — just signed by the Storm last week. “I know we’ve got good players,” Becht said. “I know we’ve got good plays. … We’ve got to find a way to get better. There’s no excuse for us.” Birmingham has seen enough of John Ross, a University of Washington product selected by Cincinnati ninth overall in the first round of the 2017 draft. The former record holder of the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine was released by the Stallions last week. A teammate of McCarron’s with the Bengals, Ross hadn’t made much of an impact, totaling seven catches for 58 yards in six games. The Stallions signed receiver Elijah Cooks to replace Ross on the roster. Headed down the backstretch, Week 8 begins with the Renegades looking to halt a four-game skid by hosting Orlando on Friday. That game is followed by two games on Saturday, with the Kings facing the Defenders and the Battlehawks hosting Houston. The Stallions wrap things up on Sunday when they face Columbus in Birmingham.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports