When Gio Reyna scored his first World Cup goal during the United States' opening match against Paraguay June 12, he made the day's highlight reel for a variety of reasons.

To be sure, his goal in stoppage time extending the USA's lead to 4-1 was a stunning capper to a dominant showing by the 2026 FIFA World Cup's host team in front of an announced crowd of 70,492 people at Los Angeles' SoFi Stadium.

But while it was an instantly iconic tournament moment, the 23-year-old midfielder—who came in as a sub for Malik Tillman in the game's 82nd minute and will again be waiting in the wings when the U.S. takes on Australia June 19—also made it personal in the best of ways.

After covering his ears (an inside joke with friends, he explained), Reyna then stuck the ball under his jersey and blew a kiss toward the camera. Which, 14 years after Lionel Messi made a similar gesture during a World Cup qualifier, is pretty much acknowledged as the universal symbol that a soccer player is going to be a father.

Chloe, who played Division I soccer for Providence College, approved her husband's sense of timing, sharing a photo of his news-making moment, captioned, "proud of you and so excited for [baby]!"

And yet the athlete, born Giovanni Alejandro Reyna, didn't just win himself millions of new fans with a flick of his foot and his subsequent sweet gesture.

He also answered any lingering questions there might have been about his character left over from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, as well as proved U.S. men's national team manager Mauricio Pochettino's instincts correct in naming Reyna to the 2026 roster at all.

“Gio [has] amazing talent and experience,” Pochettino said at a May 26 news conference when the roster was announced. "I really trust in him.”

Less convinced were those who remembered that then-USMNT manager Gregg Berhalter only played Reyna for 52 minutes during the USA's four 2022 World Cup matches and later revealed that he almost sent a player home during the tournament because he "was clearly not meeting expectations on and off the field."

Berhalter didn't name names and a U.S. Soccer spokesperson told The Athletic that his remarks, made during the HOW Institute for Society’s Summit on Moral Leadership, were supposed to be off the record.

But The Athletic had reported that Reyna apologized to his teammates for his lack of hustle after their opening game against Wales. And Berhalter shared during the summit that the player in question apologized, the team agreed they needed more from him and "from that day on there were no issues with this player."

Then, however, Reyna's parents—former national team players Claudio Reyna and Danielle Egan Reyna—dove into the fray. The back-and-forth got super messy, resulting in the U.S. Soccer Federation investigating Berhalter (who was cleared to keep coaching) and the couple with regard to how they handled their son's lack of playing time.

Claudio and Berhalter were former USMNT teammates and their families had been close. While that's no longer the case, Reyna started playing again for Berhalter in 2023. If they hadn't been able to put the past behind them, he said in 2024, "it would’ve been affecting the team. And I think that was most important for the both of us.”

And Reyna did his best to relegate his disappointing World Cup debut to the back of his mind. He focused on his game, proposed to Chloe in May 2024 and got married last July at Blue Hill at Stone Barns in New York's Hudson Valley.

Still, even after he rejoined the USMNT in November, he could only just wait and see if he'd done enough to make it to his second World Cup.

“If I say no, I’m not backing myself, and if I say yes, it’s arrogant,” he said in May, speaking to reporters in Germany of his chances of being picked. “It’s a hard question to answer. I love the staff, players and the national team. Whatever happens, happens....I’m just hoping and waiting for the call-up, it would be an honor.”

Reyna was at his in-laws' house in Connecticut when he found out he'd made it.

His parents were "over the moon," he told reporters after the 26-man roster was officially announced—and included his former manager's son, fellow midfielder Sebastian Berhalter. (Once best friends before the rift between their parents, they looked like mates once again after their opening victory.)

"This time around," Reyna said, "I’m just willing to do whatever it takes. Whatever’s called for by me, I’ll be willing to help."

He thanked Pochettino, adding, "At the end of the day, I want to repay him on the pitch and help this team be successful."

So far, so good. And as the 2026 FIFA World Cup continues, meet the rest of the U.S. team: