da brdice： Gio Reyna continues to be left out at Nottingham Forest as the U.S. men's national team star was glued to the bench once again in a draw with Luton.
da doce： Article continues below
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Reyna benched yet againLess than a half of game time since joining clubForest settle for 1-1 drawGettyWHAT HAPPENED?
It was a vital match in the relegation race, with both teams needing every point they can get at this point in the season. It was Forest, though, that seized the advantage initially thanks to a goal from Chris Wood.
Forest's big moment came in the 34th minute. Played in by a cross from Morgan Gibbs-White, Wood was just able to get the outside of his boot to the ball, flicking it back across goal to give Forest a 1-0 lead in the first half.
Of the two teams, it was Forest that were closer to scoring that second goal of the game for most of the contest, with Luton surviving thanks to two goal-line clearances. Those clearances proved vital, too, as Luton scored a late equalizer to seal a share of the points.
The goal came from a corner kick in the 89th minute, and it helped Luton steal a result at home. Luke Berry was the goalscorer as Forest were unable to block his shot on goal as the two sides finished level at 1-1.
AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE
With the draw, Forest picked up a point that could have, and probably should have been three to help them through this relegation race. That one point puts them on 25 for the season, leaving them just three ahead of Luton, who occupy that last relegation spot with nine games remaining. Forest also have a potential Financial Fair Play sanction hanging over their head, with Monday's verdict having the potential to completely alter the course of the club's campaign.
GettyUSMNT IMPACT
Reyna's spell at Nottingham Forest continues to feel like a disaster, as the American once again failed to get the minutes needed to make this loan worthwhile. Reyna, to be fair, was nursing a knock heading into this game but, after returning to training in the build-up, the hope was that he'd get some sort of chance to contribute.
He's played less than one full half of soccer since joining the club in the winter transfer window. Reyna is getting less playing time than he was even getting at Dortmund, with the lack of minutes in Germany being the reason this loan was sanctioned to begin with. Reyna's inability to crack not just the Forest XI, but the Forest substitutes is a real concern heading into USMNT camp.
Reyna, of course, was called into that camp, with head coach Gregg Berhalter admitting he was concerned by Reyna's lack of gametime. Berhalter, though, says he has full belief in Reyna, who did have a strong 2023 with the national team despite his club issues.
Joining Reyna on the bench, of course, was Matt Turner, who remains Forest's backup goalkeeper for the time being.
Getty ImagesWHAT COMES NEXT?
Reyna will now join Turner in flying across the Atlantic for the upcoming CONCACAF Nations League games. First up for the U.S. will be a semifinal clash with Jamaica, with the winner advancing to a final against Panama or Mexico and the loser playing one of those sides in the third-place game.