"Gio Reyna could be the best US talent out there today" - Jovan Kirovski
In an exclusive chat with bundesliga.com, Jovan Kirovski - Borussia Dortmund's first ever American player - has hailed Gio Reyna as the best of the USA's talented youngsters.
Kirovski knows all about what it's like trying to make the grade abroad, having played for Dortmund between 1996 and 2000. Part of BVB's UEFA Champions League-winning squad in 1997, the current LA Galaxy technical director has been impressed by one young American in particular.
Reyna has been lighting up the Bundesliga ever since breaking through at Dortmund in January 2020, clocking up 10 goals and 11 assists in 69 appearances across all competitions.
As a result, the 18-year-old attacking midfielder has already won the DFB Cup as well as being rewarded with a new contract and international recognition.
US Soccer's Young Male Player of the Year for 2020 saw his progress checked by a hamstring injury in September, but Kirovski expects Reyna to come back with a bang.
Watch: Half a century of Reyna - and more to come
"He could be arguably the best young American talent out there today," Kirovski told bundesliga.com. "I think he is the one."
Reyna is not the only American in the Bundesliga to have stood out for Kirovski.
Another 18-year-old currently making waves in the German top flight is Joe Scally. The former New York City FC wing-back is enjoying a breakout season with Borussia Mönchengladbach, scoring in a win at Wolfsburg and starting all nine league matches so far.
The first of those games was a 1-1 draw against reigning Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich, while Scally's most recent appearance came in Gladbach's stunning 5-0 DFB Cup success against the same opposition.
Watch: Scally's incredible rise
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"He has a great engine, goes up and down," Kirovski said of Scally. "He's obviously somebody that needs time, but it's great to see that he's getting some time, getting minutes, getting to play. And he will grow."
RB Leipzig midfielder Tyler Adams, meanwhile, has been in the league a lot longer. Kirovski is pleased to see the 22-year-old continue to make a mark during his fourth season in Germany.
"He has such a good engine, and he's a fighter," the 62-time US international said. "He has that American workrate, but he also has quality as well. So it's great to see him grow and develop."
Chris Richards is another USMNT player with time on his side, and this season he opted for a second successive loan stint away from Bayern at Hoffenheim. The 21-year-old defender has once again been reunited with Sebastian Hoeneß - his former coach with Bayern's reserve team - and he has already featured in six Bundesliga games this term.
"He's showing what he can be, again with time, with experience," Kirovski said of Richards. "Physically, he's very capable. Technically, on the ball, he's good. He can be a very good centre-back. Maybe back at Bayern Munich, or in the Bundesliga he will play somewhere for sure."
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