The United States men's national team opened World Cup 2026 with a 4-1 win over Paraguay on Friday night, and Gio Reyna found a way to make the final goal about more than just three points.
Reyna entered the match as a substitute and scored 16 minutes later in the eighth minute of second-half stoppage time. The goal was a trivela, struck with the outside of his right foot, slicing across the Paraguay penalty box and past goalkeeper Orlando Gill. It was his first World Cup goal and the 10th of his international career.
What followed the goal drew as much attention as the strike itself. Reyna ran to the corner, where he was joined by teammates, substitutes, and manager Mauricio Pochettino. Once the group broke up, Reyna asked for a ball, tucked it under his jersey, and put his thumb in his mouth. It is a well-known soccer celebration used to announce a pregnancy.
Reyna confirmed afterward that his wife, Chloe, is expecting the couple's first child.
"I've known for a couple months now,, so I was waiting for the perfect time [to break the news]," Reyna said. "And this sort of felt like it."
According to Yahoo Sports, those around Reyna, including Chloe and his parents, former U.S. internationals Claudio and Danielle Reyna, had been encouraging him to shoot more and to be a bit more aggressive when given chances. The timing of the goal made that advice count. The U.S. were up 3-1 with the match nearly over when Reyna received a pass in a good area and chose to shoot.
"Honestly, when I'm playing, I'm not really thinking," Reyna said afterward. "I'm just doing whatever felt natural. I was in a good area, and I got a good pass, and I just saw the angle, far post."
Teammates were not entirely shocked. Christian Pulisic pointed out that Reyna produces moments like that regularly in training.
"We see stuff from him like that every day," said Pulisic. "So it's not like a crazy surprise. And he deserves it. It's great to see him pull it off in a moment like this."
The rest of the U.S. scoring came from Folarin Balogun, who scored twice, and an own goal. The win puts the U.S. at the top of Group D early. Their other two group opponents, Australia and Turkey, played Saturday night in Vancouver. The U.S. next face Australia on Friday night in Seattle.
