Diagnosed with a left groin strain, Reyna has returned to Germany with Dortmund, while Cowell joined the U.S. in training this week.
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Gio Reyna leaves USMNT camp with injuryReplaced by Cade CowellWhat's next for Dortmund midfielder?WHAT HAPPENED?
Gio Reyna will miss the September international window for the USMNT, U.S. Soccer confirmed Thursday. He has been diagnosed with a left groin strain, and has been replaced by 20-year-old Cade Cowell.
The U.S. are set to take on Canada and New Zealand this window, with assistant Mikey Varas on the touchline for the program.
Reyna will return to Germany with Dortmund to prepare for the upcoming Bundesliga campaign.
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Reyna was the subject of transfer rumors all summer across Europe after a failed loan stint in the second half of the 2023-24 season at Nottingham Forest in the English Premier League. He, however, opted to stay with Borussia Dortmund – the club he has been with since 2019.
Under new manager Nuri Sahin, a former BVB player himself, Reyna is hoping for a fresh start. However, the midfielder has only played 10 minutes this season for Dortmund. The severity of the injury he picked up in U.S. camp has yet to be determined.
Cowell, meanwhile, is a worthwhile replacement who has had an excellent start to the season with Chivas in Liga MX. He has three goals and three assists in six matches in the Apertura. For the USMNT, the 20-year-old winger has eight senior caps, scoring one goal.
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Alongside Reyna, U.S. senior players Antonee Robinson and Weston McKennie are also missing out on the September camp. Their absences, however, were accounted for by Varas.
"Jedi [Robinson] has been playing banged up for the last year, and the best thing for him at this moment is to stay back, reset, and get ready for a long, grueling Premier League season," Varas said of the fullback. "At the end of the day, we work with the player because the best thing for them long term is the best thing for the national team.”
On McKennie, however, the interim manager revealed he believed it to be best he stay in Italy and prepare for the season with Juventus.
"In the case of Weston McKennie, he wasn't able to do a full preseason, so the best thing for him in collaboration with player, club and country is to leave him at Juventus and let him catch up and get ready for his season," Varas said.
AFPWHAT NEXT FOR REYNA, USMNT?
Reyna will continue recovering and hope to be back to fitness by Dortmund's next match, a Bundesliga clash with FC Heidenheim on Sept. 13.
The U.S. will clash with Jesse Marsch's Canada on Saturday, meanwhile.