Giovanni Reyna says it would be a dream come true to feature for the United States at the World Cup if he makes Mauricio Pochettino's 26-man squad, with the Borussia Mönchengladbach forward saying he is working around the clock to ensure he's at peak fitness.
Reyna, 23, scored his first goal for Gladbach at the weekend in their 3-1 defeat to Augsburg. Though it came as a consolation effort for his team, Reyna hopes it will be the start of a run of form which can carry him through to the World Cup.
It's been a frustrating couple of seasons for Reyna with injuries picking apart any momentum. He's yet to play 90 minutes for Gladbach this year following his move from Borussia Dortmund last summer. His season has been pockmarked by injury, but he has featured in their last four matches off the bench.
"Of course, with these injuries, it sucks and you never want to be injured, but I try to take what I can from each injury," Reyna told reporters on Tuesday. "I've been unlucky with them, but I'm feeling good now. I'm doing all I can 24 hours a day to stay fit and give all in training and recovery.
"I think individually it would be great to do something with the national team; the team means a lot to me. I've had very good moments with this team over the last couple years, so, I would love to be there, have an impact on the team. It's a dream to represent my country at the World Cup."
When asked whether the thought of trying to secure a spot in Mauricio Pochettino's squad is preoccupying, Reyna answered: "I think it's in everyone's mind. No spot is guaranteed or safe, but yeah, I wanna be there. It's a World Cup in your home country. You think about it often, but I try not to let it sort of take over my day and stress me out too much, but it is in the back of my mind, like I'm sure with many other players.
"I want to be there, I want to represent my country and give everything for the team."
Reyna paused before answering on whether he thinks he's done enough to make the final 26.
"If I say no, I'm not backing myself," he said. "And if I say yes, it's the arrogant answer where I feel like I should be there. It's a hard question to answer.
"I love the staff. I love the players. I love the national team. Obviously whatever happens, happens. Really hoping and wanting to be there to make an impact and achieve something great with the team, but the decision is out of my hands."
Looking back to Qatar 2022 where the USMNT were knocked out in the Round of 16 against the Netherlands, Reyna said: "I think individually and collectively we were all very, very young and maybe a little bit inexperienced at the time. We came up against a Holland team that was a little bit more experienced, a little bit better, a little bit savvier, and in the end, it was almost too much for us. A World Cup is an amazing experience, and I learned so much from that.
"Of course, I would wanna play more in this upcoming tournament, but at the same time, you know, you learn you're just trying to do whatever you can to help the team. It's a dream come true just to be there. It's about the collective, it's about the team, doing whatever we can to do something special for our country."
It will be Pochettino's call on whether Reyna gets to live out his dream, with the squad named on May 26. Reyna has featured in the last two camps, playing (and scoring) against Paraguay and then coming off the bench against Uruguay, Belgium and Portugal.
"I have a very good relationship with Mauricio. When we're in camp he's very invested, very communicative, very open and honest with what he wants to see from the team and from players individually. I have a great relationship with him."
The U.S. begins Group D play at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on June 12 against Paraguay, before playing Australia and Türkiye.