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Christian Pulisic, Gio Reyna Score in USMNT Win Against Northern Ireland

Gio Reyna and Christian Pulisic scored on either side of halftime in a 2-1 friendly win against Northern Ireland on Sunday.

Andrew Gastelum

In a dream scenario for USMNT fans, Christian Pulisic and Gio Reyna each scored for the U.S. men's national team on Sunday in a 2-1 friendly win against Northern Ireland in Belfast.

In the 30th minute, Reyna took a pass in midfield with plenty of space to maneuver and worked past his defender before releasing a shot from 22 yards. The effort took a massive deflection off Northern Ireland defender Ciaron Brown that goalkeeper Conor Hazard could only watch as the U.S. took the 1-0 lead.

The goal is Reyna's second in a U.S. shirt, following up his impressive free kick in November against Panama. The 18-year-old Borussia Dortmund phenom was unlucky to not score in a 4-1 win over Jamaica on Thursday despite a flurry of chances. He was subbed off for Salzburg midfielder Brenden Aaronson in the 63rd minute. 

Pulisic, who captained the U.S. on the day, doubled the U.S. lead in the 59th minute after he was taken down inside the Northern Ireland penalty box. The Chelsea star stepped to the spot and snuck his shot just below Hazard for his 15th international goal and first since October 2019. 

Aberdeen forward Niall McGinn put Northern Ireland on the scoresheet with a stunning effort in the 88th minute that may be worth a replay but ultimately came too late for the hosts to mount a comeback. 

With defenders John Brooks and Reggie Cannon having left the U.S. camp to avoid a COVID-19 quarantine upon reentry to their respective countries, USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter opted to go with a back-three, allowing fullbacks Sergino Dest and Antonee Robinson to attack more freely. Tim Ream, as the left-most part of the back three, assisted on the goal from Reyna, who started opposite Pulisic as a winger in the U.S. attack.

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Andrew Gastelum
ANDREW GASTELUM

Andrew Gastelum is a programming editor and writer at Sports Illustrated who specializes in soccer, the Olympics and international sports. He joined the SI staff in March 2021 and previously contributed to Howler Magazine and NBC Sports. He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame alum and is currently based in Italy.

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