The Daily Bee (December 23, 2020): Gio Reyna Named USMNT Young Player of the Year

Good morning, Fear the Wall.

Borussia Dortmund’s youngsters are getting recognized! First, it was Erling Haaland who was awarded the Golden Boy award in November. Now, Gio Reyna has been named the US Soccer Young Men’s Player of the Year:

Even though players like Sergińo Dest and Zack Steffen have impressed at their respective clubs, Reyna seems like the obvious pick for this award. At only 18 years of age, he’s managed to work his way into a top Bundesliga side. He’s got three goals and four assists across 13 Bundesliga games this season, and has played well enough to earn the trust of Lucien Favre and Edin Terzic.

Between Christian Pulisic and Gio Reyna, Borussia Dortmund have established themselves as a top destination for young American players looking to break into European football. The future of the USMNT seems brighter than ever, and Borussia Dortmund is playing a critical role in helping America’s best prospects develop. When the US competes in the World Cup in 2022, Reyna, Pulisic, Sergiño Dest, and Zack Steffen will be in their primes and should be in a good position to bring the United States to glory.

Two Bundesliga clubs go down in the Pokal

Anything can happen in a single-leg knockout round

TSG Hoffenheim have fallen victim to the Pokal trap. Facing Greuther Fürth of the 2. Bundesliga, Hoffenheim managed to keep the score tied at 2-2 through extra time, thus exposing themselves to the inherent chaos of penalties. It took seven rounds, but Fürth eventually won out on penalties. The other Bundesliga club to go down was Union Berlin, who lost to Paderborn.

While the big clubs like Bayern and Dortmund don’t necessarily look upon the DFB Cup with the same esteem as the Bundesliga or the Champions League, it can mean the world to smaller clubs that normally don’t have a shot at any silverware. Just look at what their win today meant to Greuther Fürth:

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