Academy

MLS academy grads Gio Reyna, Bryan Reynolds on shortlist for European Golden Boy award

Gio Reyna – USMNT – tight shot

A pair of MLS academy graduates are on the shortlist of nominees for the European Golden Boy award, given annually by Italian publication Tuttosport to the best player under the age of 21 in Europe.

The shortlist is compiled through fan voting from around the world, while a panel of journalists will decide the ultimate winner.

The initial list of 100 nominees was announced Tuesday by Tuttosport, who will narrow the list from the initial 100 by 20 each month. The initial list includes both Reyna and Reynolds along with some of the best young players in the world, including Jude Bellingham and Youssoufa Moukoko, who are teammates of Renya's at Borussia Dortmund. In previous years, the award has been won by global superstars like Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe and Raheem Sterling.

Valencia and US men's national team midfielder Yunus Musah also joined Reyna and Reynolds on the initial list.

The 18-year-old Reyna played his youth soccer for New York City FC before making the move to the Bundesliga with Dortmund, where he's become one of the USMNT's most highly regarded young prospects.

Reynolds, 19, experienced a rapid rise through FC Dallas' youth ranks before breaking into the first team and parlaying his talents into a transfer to Serie A with AS Roma.

You can check out the entire 100-player shortlist here.