Bedford Is Chanting For US Team's Gio Reyna In World Cup

BEDFORD, NY — The U.S. Men's National Team will kick off the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar on Monday by playing Wales, with team forward Giovanni Reyna, who grew up in Bedford.

The 20-year-old, who plays professionally for Borussia Dortmund in Germany, is the son of American soccer legend Claudio Reyna and Danielle Reyna who played for the U.S. Women's National Team and the University of North Carolina. The Reynas were the first family to have a father, mother and child all appear on U.S. Soccer's senior national teams in the history of the organization.

Reyna was born in England, when his father played for Sunderland A.F.C. His family moved back to the U.S. and settled in Bedford when Reyna was five years old. Reyna joined the academy team of New York City FC in 2015 and moved to Germany to join Borussia Dortmund's academy in 2019.

Despite the fact that Reyna is carrying the hopes of his hometown (and the nation) on his shoulders, he remains down to earth. He has a cat named Swag, builds Lego models in his spare time and golfs often with his best friend and USMNT teammate, Joe Scally, who is from Long Island.

Reyna recently received a bit of unique inspiration from a fictional coach and professional motivator. Apple TV's Ted Lasso offered some words of encouragement with a larger-than-life banner displayed in Bedford.

The U.S. team's schedule:

• U.S. vs. Wales on Monday, Nov. 21, 2 p.m. EST
• U.S. vs. England on Friday, Nov. 25, 2 p.m. EST
• U.S. vs. Iran on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2 p.m. EST

The World Cup is usually held in May, June or July, but the 2022 tournament is bucking that trend for the first time. The decision to play the tournament in November and December was made to avoid the intense summer heat in Qatar.

It is also the first time the World Cup has been hosted in the Middle East. There are 32 teams that have qualified and are in to Qatar to compete. All the games will take place between 5 a.m. and 2 p.m. EST.

The matches will be televised on either FOX or Fox Sports 1 (FS1) in English as well as in Spanish on Telemundo. You can also stream games on Peacock, Fubo, SlingTV and Vidgo.

See Patch’s full guide about the tournament, including the biggest stars and the controversy surrounding host country Qatar.