Gio Reyna just reminded the world why everyone was so excited about him in the first place. The US Men’s National Team midfielder uncorked a trivela, a curling outside-of-the-foot strike, that’s being called the best goal of the 2026 FIFA World Cup so far.

The goal and the context behind it

Reyna’s inclusion on the 26-player USMNT roster, announced on May 26, 2026, was itself a minor storyline heading into the tournament. The 23-year-old attacking midfielder managed just 19 Bundesliga appearances this season with Borussia Mönchengladbach, totaling roughly 520 minutes of playing time. That works out to about 27 minutes per match, hardly the workload of a World Cup starter.

His lone club goal of 2026 came on May 9, in a 3-1 loss to Augsburg.

Reyna entered the 2022 World Cup cycle as one of America’s most hyped young talents but saw limited action in Qatar, appearing in just 2 matches for a total of 53 minutes. His move to Mönchengladbach from Borussia Dortmund was specifically engineered to get him more playing time ahead of a home World Cup.

In a November 2025 friendly against Paraguay, Reyna contributed both a goal and an assist. Heading into the World Cup, he carried 39 senior caps with 9 goals and 6 assists for the national team.

A World Cup without crypto’s fingerprints

Four years ago, the 2022 Qatar World Cup was practically wallpapered with crypto branding. Crypto.com had a FIFA sponsorship. Fan tokens were everywhere. FTX was still, you know, a company. The 2026 edition tells a very different story. Reyna’s viral moment carries no crypto watermark. No fan token integration. No NFT tie-in. No exchange logo in the corner of the replay.

In the 2021-2022 era, crypto sponsorship deals with sports leagues and teams were being signed at a pace that made even venture capitalists dizzy. Stadium naming rights, jersey patches, halftime integrations. Then came the bear market, the collapses, and the regulatory scrutiny. FTX’s name on the Miami Heat arena became a punchline. Crypto.com’s deals were signed at valuations that look absurd in retrospect.

What this means for crypto and sports

As the crypto market has recovered substantially from its 2022 lows and institutional adoption has accelerated through spot Bitcoin ETFs and broader regulatory clarity, the marketing playbook hasn’t kept pace. Companies that survived the downturn have generally prioritized operational sustainability over splashy brand campaigns.