an
article on BBC about N American players- alvarez, gio, jayden nelson (CAN)
alvarez: "There were and still are no decisive factors, really," Alvarez tells BBC Sport when asked about his decision to switch. "It's just wherever I am happy. Right now, I'm happy with Mexico so, as long as I'm happy, it's going to be Mexico.
But in the future you never know."
gio:
The United States disappointed in Brazil, exiting the group stage following heavy defeats by Senegal and the Netherlands and a 0-0 draw with Japan. If their much-hyped forward Giovanni Reyna is seeking solace, he need not look too far from home.
Reyna's father Claudio - who played for Rangers, Sunderland and Manchester City - crashed out of the same tournament in 1989 before going on to captain the USA at the 2002 and 2006 World Cups. Similarly, current US skipper Christian Pulisic failed to reach the knock-outs in 2015 yet is now setting the Premier League alight with Chelsea following a move from Borussia Dortmund.
'Gio' Reyna may then process the pain of the past month as a positive, as a rite of passage that all successful American soccer players must go through. Named after Giovanni van Bronckhorst, his dad's former team-mate at Rangers, perhaps the hardest thing to accept will be that, arguably for the first time in his fledgling career, he was not the standout performer among players his own age.
Reyna was born in England and has been regarded as the jewel of his generation for more than a decade. Comparisons with America's soccer sweetheart Pulisic were perhaps inevitable, but they sharpened this summer when, aged 16, Reyna signed for Dortmund after gaining a Portuguese passport through his paternal grandmother, Maria. The German club's assistant manager, Jorg Heinrich, says Reyna is "similar… or maybe a little bit better" than 21-year-old Pulisic.
Such talk does not faze a teenager who has been encircled by expectation since his days dominating at Under-9 level aged five years old. Now 6ft 1in, he has an assertive presence on the field, can read a game well and is at his best when driving at pace towards defenders. He carries the ball quickly, but in a style closer to one of his favourite players, Kaka, than his compatriot Pulisic.
"Of course, it's nice to be compared to Christian because he's the best American player right now, but really I would like to create my own path," Reyna, who exchanges messages with Pulisic, tells BBC Sport.
"It's good to have someone only a few years older than me that I can look up to. We have similarities, but we are very different players, so I think some years down the line we can make a good duo."
During Under-17 World Cup qualifying Reyna scored six times in six games, and in Brazil he wore the captain's armband despite being the third-youngest player in the squad. "Gio is one of the best players I've ever coached in this age group," says his US manager Raphael Wicky. "He's a special player; a lot of technical ability. He can make a difference."
At just 17, there are obvious areas to improve. In the 4-1 loss to Senegal, Reyna failed to find a way to impose himself on the game, and after the 4-0 defeat by the Netherlands his reluctance to press was highlighted by the Dutch coach as a reason for the comfortable scoreline. Wicky, however, believes his young captain is now in the perfect place to learn.
"Gio has made the big step up and at Dortmund there is no red carpet," says Wicky, a former Switzerland defensive midfielder who spent 10 years playing in the Bundesliga. "You have to prove yourself every day. If you don't, someone else will take your place. Gio has a lot of the qualities that a player needs, but football is not only attacking; it's defending, commitment, mentality. That's something he'll learn at a top club in Germany. And if he learns that, 100% he will be there at the World Cup in 2026."
For now at least, Brazil appears to be a mere bump in the road. In July, Reyna made his first start for Dortmund in a pre-season friendly against Liverpool and two months later coach Lucien Favre included him in his Champions League squad. No surprise then, that seven years seems like too long a wait.
"Of course 2026 is there, but for me, my goal is to be at the next World Cup," he says. "I'll be 19 by then and I think, all going to plan, I am more than capable of making it."
with a career high 
goals in 2019. 
