United States manager Mauricio Pochettino named Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Gio Reyna to the American roster for upcoming friendlies against Belgium and Portugal, acknowledging the player's minimal recent club action but citing his exceptional ability and November performances as justification.

Reyna has played just 26 minutes for his club since the start of 2026 and has been sidelined for the past two months due in part to a muscle injury. Pochettino said the final window before May's World Cup roster announcement made it worthwhile to evaluate Reyna directly.

"He is a very special talent and very special player," Pochettino said on a videoconference call with reporters. "Even if he's not playing too much in his club, it can be very useful for us."

Pochettino pointed to Reyna's November performances as the foundation for the call-up. The midfielder scored the opening goal in a 2-1 win over Paraguay and contributed an assist off the bench in a 5-1 victory over Uruguay.

"I think Gio was fantastic in November with us," Pochettino said. "Everyone praised him in his game against Paraguay, and then in the way that he was involved and committed with the team."

The U.S. manager defended his approach to roster selection as player-specific rather than rule-based, arguing that blanket standards fail to account for individual profiles and contributions.

"We cannot follow some rule because it's not fair to judge all in the same way," Pochettino said. "The most important is what the player can add to the team."

The United States faces Belgium on March 28 and Portugal on March 31, both in Atlanta.