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Giovanni Reyna Scores First International Goal as U.S. Beats Panama in Friendly Match

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It’s a special first for Giovanni Reyna…

The 18-year-old half-Argentine American soccer player scored his first international goal as the United States beat Panama 6-2 in a friendly on Monday in Wiener Neustadt, Austria.

Giovanni Reyna

But Reyna wasn’t the only player to do so…

20-year-old Chilean & Mexican American soccer player Sebastian Soto and Nicholas Gioacchini also scored their maiden international goals during the match.

 

The second-youngest U.S. team ever fielded — with an average age of 22 years, 154 days — started brightly but found itself trailing inside of 10 minutes when Jose Fajardo‘s glancing header from an Alejandro Yearwood cross beat Zack Steffen and gave Panama the early lead.

The Americans got back on level terms 10 minutes later, when Reyna scored from a free kick at the top of the penalty area after Yunus Musah was brought down following a nice run at the Panama defense.

The goal was the first in Reyna’s U.S. career, just days after his 18th birthday and a reported new deal with German club Borussia Dortmund.

Gioacchini then fired the U.S. in front with his first international goal, pouncing on a rebound from Ulysses Llanez‘s shot after some sloppy play out of the back from Panama.

Firmly on the front foot, the U.S. made it 3-1 in the 26th minute, with Gioacchini — who plays at Ligue 2 side Caen — netting his second with a close-range header following some neat buildup play in the penalty area.

Panama came out of halftime trailing by two goals and looked dangerous in the opening 15 minutes of the second period, but were unable to find another goal.

Gioacchini had a chance to make it a hat trick on the night, but he missed from the penalty spot after Panama’s Oscar Linton was whistled for hand ball in the area.

Panama clawed one back before the 80-minute mark in a bizarre sequence that saw Fajardo break free in the U.S. area with only Steffen to beat, and he sliced a left-footed volley into the net to make it 3-2.

Substitutes Soto and Richie Ledezma put the game away soon after the Panama goal, with the former meeting the latter’s cross in the box and heading home for his first tally in the U.S. senior side.

Sebastian Lletget made it 5-2 before full-time with a header of his own before Soto headed in his second from Ledezma to reach the final scoreline.