Borussia Dortmund

Giovanni Reyna was essentially a non-factor for the United States Men's National Team at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, and it appears his lack of playing time had to do with his effort in training sessions leading up to the tournament.

Sources told The Athletic's Paul Tenorio and Sam Stejskal that Reyna "showed an alarming lack of effort in training" before the USMNT's World Cup opener against Wales on Nov. 21. Further, Reyna's lack of intensity during a scrimmage against Al Gharafa SC on Nov. 17 "caused significant frustration within the team."

During the United States' scrimmage against the Qatari club, Reyna reportedly was "walking around" while he was on the field. His performance was so poor that it was unclear if he was trying to avoid injury or if he was upset about not being named a starter for the opener against Wales.

USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter never subbed in Reyna for the team's match against Wales, a 1-1 draw. After not being put into the game, Reyna threw his shin guards, according to The Athletic, and his lack of effort in training continued heading into the team's second group-stage match against England.

With his effort continuing to be a problem, DeAndre Yedlin and Aaron Long were among the veterans that spoke to Reyna, per The Athletic. Members of the coaching staff also spoke with Reyna before he apologized to the team.

Berhalter, without naming the player, appeared to discuss the situation regarding Reyna last week, saying that the issue was so bad that the team nearly booked him a flight back to the United States:

"In this last World Cup, we had a player that was clearly not meeting expectations on and off the field. One of 26 players, so it stood out. As a staff, we sat together for hours deliberating what we were going to do with this player. We were ready to book a plane ticket home, that's how extreme it was. And what it came down to was, we're going to have one more conversation with him, and part of the conversation was how we're going to behave from here out. There aren't going to be any more infractions.

"But the other thing we said to him was, you're going to have to apologize to the group, but it's going to have to say why you're apologizing. It's going to have to go deeper than just, 'Guys, I'm sorry.' And I prepped the leadership group with this. I said, 'OK, this guy is going to apologize to you as a group, to the whole team.' And what was fantastic in this whole thing is that after he apologized, they stood up one by one and said, 'Listen, it hasn't been good enough. You haven't been meeting our expectations of a teammate and we want to see change.' They really took ownership of that process. And from that day on, there were no issues with this player.

"As a coach, the way you can deal with things most appropriately is going back to your values. Because it's difficult to send a player home. It was going to be a massive controversy. You would have been reading about it for five days straight. But we were prepared to do it, because he wasn't meeting the standards of the group, and the group was prepared to do it as well."

Reyna was subbed in during matches against England and the team's round of 16 match against the Netherlands. He did not play in the USMNT's final group-stage match against Iran. When he was on the field, he wasn't much of a factor for the Americans.

It's important to note that Reyna is just 20 years old and still has plenty of maturing to do. He will likely continue to be part of the USMNT moving forward, and fans will undoubtedly be looking for him to step up during the 2026 World Cup in North America.

Reyna plays his club soccer for Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund. In 10 matches this season, he has made three starts and tallied two goals.

Borussia Dortmund announced Friday that manager Marco Rose was fired after just one season with the German club.

Dortmund finished second in the Bundesliga with a 22-3-9 record. The 69 points were eight short of champions Bayern Munich (77). Dortmund also failed to advance beyond the UEFA Champions League group stage and was eliminated in the DFB-Pokal's Round of 16.

Rose explained he was confident in the direction of the club despite the trophy-less term.

"Despite a difficult season ... I was convinced of our path," Rose said. "During our conversation, the impression matured in me that 100 percent conviction of all those responsible was no longer present. In the end, we decided together to end the cooperation."

The 45-year-old former Bundesliga defender was chosen by Dortmund in February 2021 to take over for the 2021-22 season. He filled the void left by Lucien Favre, who was sacked midway through the previous campaign. 

Being unable to keep pace with Bayern at the domestic level and the quick elimination from the Champions League were likely the main reasons for his short tenure. The DFB-Pokal upset loss to second-division side FC St. Pauli didn't help his cause, either.

Meanwhile, the BVB are facing an important summer with superstar forward Erling Haaland set to leave the club for Premier League giants Manchester City.

The 21-year-old sensation will leave a massive void in the attack after scoring 86 goals in 89 matches across all competitions for Dortmund over the past three seasons.

It creates a busy first summer in charge for new sporting director Sebastian Kehl, a longtime Dortmund defensive midfielder who's now tasked with finding a new manager and trying to replace one of the best attacking players in the world.

Dortmund stated it will "hold talks about the composition of the future coaching staff in the coming days."

Borussia Dortmund announced Gio Reyna will miss the rest of the 2021-22 season due to muscle and tendon injury, via ESPN.

The forward was emotional after being subbed off just two minutes into Friday's match against Stuttgart.

The 19-year-old appeared in just 13 matches for his club across all competitions during an injury-filled season, including six starts in the Bundesliga. He had two goals in league play, both coming in August.

Reyna initially suffered a hamstring injury representing the United States during the first World Cup qualifying match against El Salvador on September 2. He didn't feature in another match for club or country until Feb. 6.

The continued setbacks especially hurt the United States men's national team, losing a key attacking player for much of the qualifying cycle. He didn't appear again for the squad until his three substitute appearances during the final window in March.

Another injury creates significant question marks about his role with the team heading into the World Cup in November. Even with plenty of time for a recovery, it will be difficult to trust a player who has topped 45 minutes in a match just once since September.

The Americans will be in a group with England, Iran and one of Ukraine, Scotland or Wales.

Reyna will also be left with question marks at the club level after effectively a lost season at Borussia Dortmund. The club currently sits second in the Bundesliga with 60 points in 29 matches, although there could be significant changes in the next transfer window with Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham among those likely to draw interest from top clubs.

There is still a bright future for Reyna, who was listed by ESPN as one of the top young players in the world coming into the year, but he must find a way to stay healthy.      

Real Madrid is reportedly set to open discussions with Borussia Dortmund about a potential summer transfer for superstar Erling Haaland.

ESPN's Alex Kirkland and Rodrigo Faez reported Friday that Manchester City is "best positioned" to land Haaland, but Los Blancos are still keen on trying to land both the Norwegian striker and Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe.

Barcelona is also said to be involved in the pursuit of Haaland, whose camp has "made it clear" he'd prefer to leave Dortmund this summer and would like to finalize plans in the "next few weeks to avoid further drama," according to the ESPN report.

Haaland scored 41 goals in 41 matches across all competitions for the German club last season and has continued to shine throughout the 2021-22 term, tallying 16 goals and five assists in 14 Bundesliga appearances.

In January, the 21-year-old attacking sensation told Norwegian outlet Viaplay (h/t ESPN) that Dortmund had started to "press" him into making a decision about his future.

"That is what they want," he said. "It means things will happen now. They have started to put a lot of pressure on me, and I have to accept that ... so now is the time to get things started."

Real Madrid leads La Liga with 52 goals scored in 26 matches this season, which has helped the club build a six-point lead over Sevilla atop the table.

Adding Haaland or Mbappe, or potentially both, to the squad would make it even more difficult for their Spanish counterparts to keep pace in the coming years.

That would obviously come at quite a cost, though. In November, agent Volker Struth estimated to German outlet Sport Bild (h/t Marca) the total price to sign Haaland between the transfer fee and the striker's new contract will likely be in the €250-300 million range.

Given Haaland's status as one of the world's top strikers and the high-profile clubs involved in trying to sign him, transfer talks could stretch well into the summer as Dortmund tries to maximize its return.

But it sounds like both the player and the club would prefer to settle the situation well before the transfer window opens to avoid a summer of unrelenting speculation.

Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland could demand $41 million (£30 million) or more annually in the event he signs with a new club next summer, according to ESPN's Mark Ogden.

"ESPN has been told that senior figures from interested clubs have been made aware that Haaland expects a pay deal that would see him earn in excess of £500,000 a week," Ogden reported. "ESPN has contacted the Haaland camp for a response to the figures."

Because of a release clause in his deal with Dortmund, the Norwegian star may be available for a reasonable transfer fee. Ogden cited a figure of €75 million. By comparison, €150 million was thrown out as a possible price for Tottenham Hotspur star Harry Kane.

At $165 million, he has the second-highest valuation on Transfermarkt behind Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe.

But the transfer fee only accounts for a portion of the outlay that will be required to land Haaland. He can justifiably request a contract that makes him one of the highest-paid players in the world, and Ogden reported that a "significant payment" would be tacked onto the transfer and go toward Haaland's representatives.

Upon arriving from Red Bull Salzburg, the 21-year-old made a seamless transition to the Bundesliga. He has 49 goals in 49 league appearances for Dortmund, and he's already setting records in the Champions League.

Given his age, Haaland might be content to remain with Dortmund through the 2022-23 season. The club is one point behind Bayern Munich for the top spot in the Bundesliga, though its 4-0 loss to Ajax on Tuesday in the Champions League was a humbling result.

In general, winning a league title or achieving continental success could be difficult at Signal Iduna Park given the way Bayern cannibalizes the competition. That and the pay raise he can earn provide obvious reasons to look at all of his options next summer.

Manchester United reportedly still plans to make a major push to sign Borussia Dortmund superstar Erling Haaland next summer despite Tuesday's signing of Cristiano Ronaldo.

ESPN's Mark Ogden reported Wednesday the Ronaldo reunion "will not impact" the Red Devils' pursuit of Haaland, who can trigger a €75 million release clause in his contract after the 2021-22 season.

The Ronaldo situation came together quickly during the final stages of the transfer window. Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri said Aug. 21 the five-time Ballon d'Or winner hadn't expressed interest in leaving the Italian club, but that changed over the following week and set the stage for his return to Old Trafford.

Ogden reported the agreement to bring back the 36-year-old Portuguese legend was "financed outside" United's planned transfer budget, but it still won't impact the future pursuit of Haaland.

The Red Devils are expected to face competition from several European giants, including Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, for the 21-year-old Norwegian sensation, per Ogden.

Haaland is coming off a tremendous season for Dortmund in which he recorded 37 goals and 10 assists across 36 appearances in the Bundesliga and UEFA Champions League. He's off to another fast start, tallying three goals and two assists in the first three domestic league matches this term.

The dynamic striker has been a coveted target for the last several transfer windows, but so far he's not been keen on trying to force his way out of Westfalenstadion.

"Well, I have a contract for a couple of fine years, so I am respectful towards my contract," Haaland told reporters in May.

He's under contract through June 2024, but the release clause next summer could make a transfer financially viable for many of Europe's biggest clubs.

Beating out the likes of Bayern, City, PSG and Real Madrid for Haaland would be a major statement for United as it looks to regain its status as an annual contender in Europe. It last won the Premier League in 2012-13 and the Champions League in 2007-08.

Ronaldo, who scored 33 goals between Serie A and the UCL last season, can provide a short-term boost in that quest, but Haaland is potential a long-term building block for United.

A year after Manchester United first tried to pry Jadon Sancho away from Borussia Dortmund, it reportedly finally got its man. 

According to David Ornstein of The Athletic and Fabrizio Romano of the Guardian, United has agreed to a transfer fee with Dortmund. Ornstein reported that it was an "initial €85 million (£72.6 million)" fee, while Romano had it at "€90m with add ons."

Romano reported that the "agents fee and personal terms" have been agreed upon, with a contract until 2026, and the deal will be finalized pending Sancho undergoing a medical examination. 

Per Ornstein, "Dortmund had a 'gentleman's agreement' with Sancho and told the forward he would be allowed to leave this summer if a club meets his valuation."

United pursued Sancho a summer ago, but Ornstein, Raphael Honigstein and Laurie Whitwell of The Athletic reported in October that the club did not take Dortmund's €120 million valuation or the Aug. 10 deadline the German club set for the potential transfer seriously. 

What followed was a summer of rumors instead, with The Athletic reporting that United's failures to take Dortmund's initial demands seriously—and attempts to slow play the negotiations in an effort to drive down the price—left them "embarking on a long-running game of poker without realising that the Bundesliga club weren't even at the table," an approach that "annoyed Dortmund's executives."

In the end, The Athletic reported that United ultimately made a bid of £80 million with add ons in late September, which was rejected. 

Sancho remained at Dortmund, where he posted eight goals and 11 assists in 26 Bundesliga appearances (24 starts). He added two goals and three assists in six Champions League appearances (four starts). 

Despite the janky negotiations a year ago, United and Dortmund reengaged on Sancho transfer talks again following the 2020-21 season, with the Premier League giants this time fully engaging much earlier in the summer.

The result is that Sancho will be joining a scary United attack that accounted for 73 goals last season, second in the Premier League, as the team finished second on the table behind champions Manchester City. 

Sancho will join players like Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Mason Greenwood and Edinson Cavani in United's front line, giving manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer a scary blend of talent to utilize this upcoming season. 

Mino Raiola, the agent for Erling Haaland, said Saturday the Borussia Dortmund striker's price tag won't be prohibitive for some of Europe's top clubs in the summer transfer window.

Raiola confirmed to AS' Marco Ruiz that Dortmund has told him it's not interested in a sale, but he believes European giants Real Madrid, among others, can certainly afford the likely massive transfer fee to convince the Bundesliga side to let him go.

When asked if the La Liga outfit could make an acceptable bid for the Norwegian, Raiola said: "I don't know if they can afford him, because I've haven't studied their books. But I think they can. I think they all can. The question is different: Can Madrid afford not to buy Haaland? And Barca?"

Haaland will be one of the most coveted players available this summer if Dortmund eases from its stance about trying to keep him, a decision that may be directly related to how much opposing clubs can offer considering the financial impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

Raiola explained to Ruiz that Dortmund's lack of interest in a sale hasn't stopped the European giants like Barcelona, Juventus, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid from lining up for talks after the 2020-21 season:

"Haaland is interested in two things. Scoring goals, because he's a little bit like Cristiano or Zlatan...it's his obsession, in a positive way. And winning titles. No doubt he'll pick somewhere where he feels those two things go together best for him. It's really hard to lie. When a club like Barcelona or Real Madrid comes in for you, with so much history and being such a big club, it's hard to say no. PSG is getting into his group of big clubs, City is trying, Juve have always been there. The league they play in is important too. PSG plays in the worst league of the big clubs. Bayern are in an attractive league, but we know they always win it. In Spain there are three clubs with a chance."

Haaland has been in peak form for much of the term for Dortmund. He's recorded 35 goals and seven assists in 34 appearances between the Bundesliga and the Champions League.

The 20-year-old Norway international has firmly established himself as one of the world's most dynamic attackers, and he'd provide an instant boost to any frontline in Europe.

Raiola noted whenever Haaland becomes available for transfer, whether it's this summer or in the future, it won't be a matter of simply which club offers the most money.

"No, no...my job is to maximize the economic performance of the player, but it needs to be a major project," he told Ruiz. "You can't buy a footballer without having a plan or a project for the future. Real Madrid and Barcelona have changed a lot in this sense. They had an era when they bought players who had little future. They had to leave soon after. The rotation of players was too quick."

The agent, who also works for Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Paul Pogba and others, added Haaland hasn't provided any preferences about the league or club where he wants to land, and it's best to compile a list of potential suitors and then let the player go through the process from there.

For now, the standout striker is focused on trying to help Dortmund earn a Champions League berth. BVB are two points behind Wolfsburg and one point behind Eintracht Frankfurt for the final two UCL spots out of the Bundesliga with three matches remaining.

But first, the club hosts the DFB-Pokal semifinal against Holstein Kiel on Saturd

It was stressful, but Manchester City got the first step of the job done and is well on its way to the Champions League semifinals.

Kevin De Bruyne scored in the 18th minute and Phil Foden added the winner in the 90th for City to earn a 2-1 win over Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday. The two sides will meet again April 14 at Signal Iduna Park.

De Bruyne's goal carried the match deep into the second half before Marco Reus tied the score in the 84th. It seemed Dortmund would be able to escape with a draw, but Foden found the back of the net on City's last deep attack to salvage the win for the favorites.

While City controlled the match and held possession for 62 percent of the match, Dortmund will walk away with some hope after scoring an away goal against the Premier League club. 

Many supporters of the German side may even say Dortmund should have walked away with a draw. An official made a controversial foul call on Jude Bellingham in the first half that wiped away a sure goal. On replay, it was clear Bellingham made contact with the ball to get it past City keeper Ederson and then was free to strike the ball through the net.

However, the official called Bellingham for a foul, saying he contacted Ederson when in fact the opposite was true. It was Ederson who made contact with Bellingham when he was attempting to play the ball.

It was a frustrating result for a Dortmund side that likely could have gotten some momentum with a win over a red-hot City. Dortmund entered Tuesday with just one win in its last five matches, and it currently sits a disappointing fifth in Bundesliga as a result.

City is running away with the Premiership, sitting with a 14-point lead in the table and now winners of six straight matches. 

Dortmund's frustration carries a little less merit after it gave up the final goal in the waning seconds, but there is nevertheless still hope heading into the second leg.