Gio Reyna is back.
The 19-year-old attacker played his first game in five months on Sunday, Feb. 6, coming on as a second-half substitute for Borussia Dortmund.
Reyna had been sidelined for club and country due to a severe hamstring injury.
He replaced midfielder Thorgan Hazard in the 61st minute of Dortmund’s 5-2 home loss to Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga.
Reyna hadn't played since he incurred the injury in the U.S. Men's National Team's scoreless draw at El Salvador in its FIFA World Cup Qualifying opener on Sept. 2. He last played for Dortmund on Aug. 27, scoring a goal in a 3-2 win over Hoffenheim. Reyna has two goals in four league matches.
On Sunday, Reyna came close to finding the net in the 80th minute, but his one-on-one opportunity was denied by goalkeeper Lennart Grill.
Now that he’s back, Reyna will try to get into top form for USMNT’s final three World Cup Qualifiers in March. The USA plays at Mexico on March 24, hosts Panama in Orlando, Fla. on March 27 and closes out Concacaf qualifying in Costa Rica on March 30.
INSURANCE ASSIST
Brenden Aaronson enjoyed a successful return to Red Bull Salzburg after WCQ duty, setting up the final goal of a 3-1 home win over LASK Linz in the Austrian Cup quarterfinals on Sunday. Aaronson, who played the full 90 minutes, assisted on Nicolas Capaldo's 47th-minute tally, the final goal of the match.
Aaronson also appeared to have scored in the 74th minute, but had his tally called back for offside.
Salzburg sits just two wins away from claiming its ninth Austrian Cup title.
FILLING THE NET AGAIN
Justin Pefok continued his push to return to the USMNT for qualifying in the best way he knows - by filling the net.
The 25-year-forward struck twice for Young Boys on Sunday, in a 3-3 draw at St. Gallen. It was Pefok’s fourth multi-goal game this season.
After the visitors grabbed the lead on Christian Fassnacht's 25th-minute goal, the forward doubled their lead in the 44th minute. Fassnacht headed the ball to an onrushing Pefok, who slotted it in from six yards.
Five minutes into the second half, Fassnacht initiated the second score as he helped take the ball away from a St. Gallen player at midfield. He then found Pefok, who headed the ball home from 12 yards for a 3-0 advantage.
Young Boys could not hold onto the lead as Kwadwo Duah’s second goal of the game lifted St. Gallen into a tie two minutes into second-half stoppage time.
Pefok, who was subbed out in the 89th minute, has 13 goals in 19 league appearance this season. Across all competitions for the Swiss side, he has 18 goals in 31 matches.
Young Boys (10-4-6, 36 points) is in third place, trailing second-place FC Basel (9-1-10, 37) by a point.
RARE CONFRONTATION
In a rare confrontation of league leaders and USMNT players, Manchester City (English Premier League) and goalkeeper Zack Steffen prevailed over Fulham (Championship) and center back Tim Ream with a 4-1 home victory in the fourth round of the English FA Cup on Saturday, Feb. 5.
Both players went the full 90 minutes for their clubs.
BUNDESLIGA DEBUT
George Bello, who transferred from Atlanta United to Arminia Bielefeld on Monday, Jan. 31, didn't take long to make his Bundesliga debut going the final 19 minutes in a 1-1 draw with Borussia Mönchengladbach on Saturday, Feb. 5.
USMNT teammate Joe Scally was in the 18 for ‘Gladbach but did not play.
FULL RUNDOWN
-- Brenden Aaronson (Red Bull Salzburg; Austria Bundesliga) - 90 minutes and an ASSIST in 3-1 win vs. LASK in OFB Cup (Feb. 6)
-- Tyler Adams (RB Leipzig; German Bundesliga) – Injured, DNP in 3-2 loss at Bayern Munich (Feb. 5)
-- George Bello (Arminia Bielefeld; Bundesliga) - 19 minutes as a substitute in 1-1 draw vs. Borussia Mönchengladbach (Feb. 5)
-- John Brooks (Wolfsburg; Germany Bundesliga) - 85 minutes in 4-1 win vs. Greuther Fürth (Feb. 6)
-- Gianluca Busio (Venezia; Italy Serie A) - 20 minutes as a substitute in 2-0 loss vs. Napoli (Feb. 6)
-- Reggie Cannon (Boavista; Portuguese Primeira) - Not in 18, DNP in 2-2 draw vs. Vizela (Feb. 6)
-- Cameron Carter-Vickers; (Celtic; Scottish Premiership) - 90 minutes in 4-0 win at Motherwell (Feb. 6); 90 minutes in 3-0 win vs. Rangers (Feb. 2)
-- Johnny Cardoso (Internacional; Brazilian Serie A) – Not in 18, DNP in 3-1 loss at Ypiranga Erechim in Campeonato Gaucho (Feb. 5); 90 minutes in 0-0 draw at Sao Luiz in Campeonato Gaucho (Feb. 2)
-- Konrad de la Fuente (Marseille; French Ligue 1) - Injured, DNP in 5-2 win vs. Angers (Feb. 5)
-- Luca de la Torre (Heracles; Dutch Eredivisie) - 45 minutes in 3-0 loss at Ajax (Feb. 6)
-- Sergiño Dest (Barcelona; Spain La Liga) - 19 minutes as a substitute in 4-2 win vs. Atletico Madrid (Feb. 6)
-- Nicholas Gioacchini (Montpellier; French Ligue 1) - 68 minutes in 3-1 loss at Saint-Etienne (Feb. 5)
-- Julian Green (Greuther Fürth; German Bundesliga) - I5 minutes in 4-1 loss at Wolfsburg (Feb. 6)
-- Matthew Hoppe (Mallorca; Spanish Primera) - In 18, DNP in 2-1 win vs. Cadiz (Feb. 5); 33 minutes as a substitute in 1-0 loss at Rayo Vallecano in Copa del Rey (Feb. 2)
-- Ethan Horvath (Nottingham Forest; English Championship) - In 18, DNP in 4-1 win vs. Leicester City in FA Cup (Feb. 6)
-- Richy Ledezma (PSV Eindhoven; Dutch Eredivisie) - Not in 18, DNP vs. AZ Alkmaar (Feb. 5)
-- Weston McKennie (Juventus; Italy Serie A) - 7 minutes as a substitute in 2-0 win vs. Verona (Feb. 6)
-- Mark McKenzie (Genk; Belgian Pro League) - Not in 18, DNP in 2-0 win vs. Zulte-Waregem (Feb. 6)
-- Matt Miazga (Alaves; Spain La Liga) - In 18, DNP in 2-1 loss at Elche (Feb. 5)
-- Shaq Moore (Tenerife; Spain Segunda Division) - In 18, DNP in 0-0 draw vs. Leganes (Feb. 6)
-- Yunus Musah (Valencia; Spain La Liga) - 10 minutes as a substitute in 0-0 draw vs. Real Sociedad (Feb. 6)
-- Erik Palmer-Brown (Troyes; French Ligue 1) - 90 minutes in 0-0 draw vs. Metz (Feb. 6)
-- Jordan Pefok (Young Boys; Swiss Super League) - 89 minutes and TWO GOALS in 3-3 draw at St. Gallen (Feb. 6)
-- Ricardo Pepi (Augsburg; Bundesliga) - Not in 18, DNP in 2-0 win vs. Union Berlin (Feb. 5)
-- Christian Pulisic (Chelsea; English Premier League) - Not in 18, DNP in 2-1 win vs. Plymouth Argyle in FA Cup (Feb. 5)
-- Tim Ream (Fulham; English Championship) - 90 minutes in 4-1 loss at Manchester City in FA Cup (Feb. 5)
-- Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund; Bundesliga) - 29 minutes as a substitute in 5-2 loss vs. Bayer Leverkusen (Feb. 6)
-- Bryan Reynolds (Kortrijk; Belgian Pro League) - 90 minutes in 3-1 loss vs. Sint-Truiden (Feb. 5)
-- Chris Richards (Hoffenheim; German Bundesliga) - Injured, DNP in 2-0 loss at Mainz (Feb. 5)
-- Antonee Robinson (Fulham; English Championship) - Not in 18, DNP in 4-1 loss at Manchester City in FA Cup (Feb. 5)
-- James Sands (Rangers, Scottish Premiership) -- In 18, DNP in 5-0 win vs. Hearts (Feb. 6); In 18, DNP in 3-0 loss at Celtic (Feb. 2)
-- Josh Sargent (Norwich City; English Premier League) - Not in 18, DNP in 1-0 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers in FA Cup (Feb. 5)
-- Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach; Bundesliga) - In 18, DNP in 1-1 draw at Arminia Bielefeld (Feb. 5)
-- Zack Steffen (Manchester City; English Premier League) - 90 minutes in 4-1 win vs. Fulham in FA Cup (Feb. 5)
-- Tanner Tessmann (Venezia; Italy Serie A) - In 18, DNP in 2-0 loss vs. Napoli (Feb. 6)
-- Sam Vines (Royal Antwerp; Belgian Pro League) - 90 minutes in 2-0 loss vs. Union Saint-Gilloise (Feb. 5)
-- Tim Weah (Lille; French Ligue 1) - 70 minutes in 5-1 loss vs. Paris St-Germain (Feb. 6)