Family Connections: Gio’s USMNT Debut Will Make More History for Reyna Family

Reyna Family Would Become First to Have Three Members Represent U.S. Senior National Teams
By: Jeff Crandall

With a number of new, young faces on the roster, there’s a lot to be excited about as the U.S. Men’s National Team gathers this week in Cardiff, Wales, for the first time since January.

 

One of the most anticipated of those first timers is Gio Reyna.

 

Just 17 – at least for a few more days – he’s already established himself as a dangerous attacking threat for German Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund. Now as he steps into the USMNT fold, he follows in the footsteps of his father, Claudio.

A National Soccer Hall of Fame member since 2012, Claudio Reyna is one of the most accomplished players in USMNT history. One of 17 players to earn more than 100 caps, Claudio Reyna joins Kasey Keller and DaMarcus Beasley as the only individuals to go to four different FIFA World Cups for the USMNT.

 

More remarkably, the elder Reyna is the only player to have captained the side at two different World Cups – notably wearing the armband as the USA ran to the quarterfinals in 2002. He did so again four years later in Germany.

 

 

While his father’s legacy in the team runs deep, there’s another layer that comes with Gio’s inclusion in this camp: his mother – Danielle Reyna (nee Egan), who was a standout college player at the University of North Carolina, also represented the U.S. Women’s National Team on six occasions.

In fact, Claudio and Danielle first met when the USMNT and USWNT were gathered at the same hotel in Southern California just prior to the 1994 FIFA World Cup. They married three years later, and Gio was born in November 2002.

 

There have been many family connections across the U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Teams through the years – husband and wife, wife and wife, father and son, brother and sister, sister and sister. With Gio expected to make his USMNT debut during this month’s camp, the Reyna family would become the first to have three members play for senior U.S. National Teams.

 

Here’s a list of families who have had members represent the U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Teams:

 

Family

Relation

Family Member

Family Member

Family Member

Reyna

Husband/Wife/Son

Claudio

Danielle

Gio*

Biefeld/Fawcett

Brother/Sister

Eric Biefeld

Joy Fawcett

-

Brown

Father/Son

Jim

George

-

DeBrito

Brother/Brother

John

Pedro

-

Decker

Brother/Brother

Otto

Rolf

-

DiBernardo

Brother/Brother

Angelo

Paul

-

Dwyer/Leroux

Husband/Wife

Dom

Sydney Leroux

-

Fair

Sister/Sister

Lorrie

Ronnie

-

Gabarra/Jennings

Husband/Wife

Jim

Carin Jennings

-

Gyau

Father/Son

Philip

Joe

-

Keough

Father/Son

Harry

Ty

-

Krieger/Harris

Wife/Wife

Allie

Ashlyn

-

Loyd/Nogueira

Husband/Wife

Zach

Casey Nogueira

-

Maca

Father/Son

Joe

Alain

-

McCully

Brother/Brother

Charlie

Henry

-

Mewis

Sister/Sister

Sam

Kristie

-

Nanchoff

Brother/Brother

George

Louie

-

Snow

Brother/Brother

Steve

Ken

-

Stark

Brother/Brother

Archie

Tom

-

Twellman

Father/Son

Tim

Taylor

-