American Players Get Insider Insight Into Pro Life in Germany
Reyna and Scally share honest insights, advice, and motivation with International Soccer Academy’s Borussia Mönchengladbach players during an exclusive mentorship session in Germany.
It was a special day for the players of the International Soccer Academy’s Borussia Mönchengladbach Integrated Academy as they sat down for an intimate one-on-one session with Gio Reyna and Joe Scally, two American stars thriving in the Bundesliga and representing the U.S. Men’s National Team.
Both players took time out of their schedules to meet with the young athletes — sharing insights on life as professionals in Europe and offering advice on what it takes to compete at the top level.
Founded by Diane Scavuzzo and Eddie Loewen, International Soccer Academy (ISA) provides talented players from North America the opportunity to live, train, and play in Europe within professional club environments. The Borussia Mönchengladbach Integrated Academy is one of ISA’s flagship programs, designed to immerse players fully into the structure and culture of a Bundesliga academy.
During the session, Reyna and Scally spoke about their journeys — from their youth soccer beginnings in the United States to the challenges of adapting to life in Germany as teenagers. They emphasized the importance of maturity, professionalism, and pushing yourself daily against the highest level of competition.
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“I think the talent is higher here (in Germany),” said Reyna, who began his professional career at Borussia Dortmund before moving to Nottingham Forest on loan in the Premier League. “That’s why I think it’s great that you guys get to live here and experience different countries in Europe. I definitely recommend all the kids in America to try and do something like this.”
Scally, who joined Borussia Mönchengladbach from New York City FC in 2021, echoed that sentiment, stressing how valuable it is to compete in Europe early.
Both players stayed to answer every question from the group — from training habits and mentality to adjusting to new cultures and playing for the national team.
This type of meaningful integration and mentorship is at the core of International Soccer Academy’s mission: connecting young American players directly with the professional environments and role models shaping global football today.
Q&A With Gio Reyna and Joe Scally
Here are some of the questions our Borussia Integrated Academy players had for Gio and Joe during their session:
ISA Right Back Bryson Antoci from Georgia asked, which player inspired you the most growing up?
Joe Scally: Kyle Walker. Just because I play right back and I think we have some similar attributes. He’s very athletic and I think thats the main part of my game so I try to replicate or do little things that he does and mimic it in a way.
ISA Midfielder Sebastian Stokas from North Carolina asked, what separated you from the rest growing up?
Joe Scally: I think what separated us was that we started off playing two years older. I would say it really made us learn the game, think quicker and we weren’t always the biggest ones on the field because we played two years up. I think realizing that we need too play smarter or think faster in the head when to pass the ball or when to keep it. I would say thats what really helped us.
Gio Reyna: I think also we’re both pretty competitive so I think that always helps us get an edge and we have to take it to the next level. We are both pretty hungry and never tired of 24/7 training and games. This is very helpful for you guys because you also play older teams.
ISA Goalkeeper Will Fahrbach from Wisconsin asked, how do you deal with sad moments in your career and feeling down in day to day?
Joe Scally: You’re going to miss home I think thats definitely what happens. Once thing I know is that both of us enjoy playing video games and I think it helped us in our time off to be able to play with friends from home and brothers etc. I think FaceTime also helps a lot but now we have wives girlfriends and dogs now and live close to each other so it gets better as you go on. Playing FIFA and Fortnite also helps.
ISA Player Lucas Mueller from Georgia asked, how much extra training did you have outside normal team training?
Gio Reyna: It’s more just going to the fields, just touching the ball, finishing, dribbling. Sort of keeping it fluid and fun. Try to enjoy it and keep it free flowing. I think in the season there really was almost no time to do stuff. We were in school and directly after going to practice
Joe Scally: Balance is very important. Being a normal kid and also playing soccer isn’t easy so in that time off when we’re not training, spending time with family and friends is important.
Borussia Mönchengladbach Program Manager Daniel Brendel asked, what do you spend your money on?
Gio Reyna: I try to save most of my money so I guess my wife, my family, getting nice gifts thats really it.
