New York City FC academy product Gio Reyna scores first goal for Borussia Dortmund

It didn’t come in the Bundesliga, but New York City FC academy product Gio Reyna has scored his first goal for the senior squad at Borussia Dortmund. 

The US youth international, 17, collected a cross from the left, dribbled past a defender and slotted home during a 4-2 friendly win over Feyenoord on Saturday. The German club is on winter break and will return to league action Jan. 18 against Augsburg.

Reyna, the son of Austin FC sporting director Claudio Reyna, is an attacking midfielder who signed with Dortmund last July. Reyna’s decision to head overseas mirrored that of US men’s national team star Christian Pulisic, who spent 2016-19 with BVB before being transferred to Premier League side Chelsea for over $73 million, a record for an American.

Reyna was in preseason with Dortmund’s first team last summer, but has otherwise mostly featured for their U-19s and in the UEFA Youth League. Permanently breaking into the senior squad will prove difficult, though he made the bench this past December.

Before heading to Dortmund, Reyna played up with NYCFC’s youth squads and won a Development Academy national title with their U-19s. He was able to sign in Germany at age 16 by securing a Portuguese passport through his mother, Maria.

At the FIFA U-17 World Cup last fall, Reyna was one of the most experienced players on a US side that finished last in Group D.