The United States Men’s National Team is going to lose recruiting battles, as other programs offer different situations or have more of an emotional appeal with certain players. Situations change, but the pursuit can be futile once the potential target is entrenched elsewhere. South Carolina-born Vicente Reyes is all but committed to Chile, having been included on the roster for multiple World Cup qualifiers. The 21-year-old Norwich City goalkeeper has also begun picking up playing time in the EFL Championship after several loans across the England pyramid.
Born in Charleston, South Carolina, Reyes (initially a midfielder) played with United Futbol Academy before joining the Atlanta United academy in 2016, a member of the club’s first Under-13 team with “great reactions” and “sharp passing skills.” Being constantly pushed up the ladder, he was promoted to the reserve team in September of 2020, making three appearances. The following season, the goalkeeper featured in three USL Championship matches and earned his first shutout, “developing a lot of confidence as a shot-stopper and ball playing in possession.”
In January of 2022, Atlanta signed him to a professional contract with the reserve team, with the goalkeeper rotating in and out of the starting lineup for 16 USL Championship appearances. The next season, Atlanta United 2 moved to MLS Next Pro, and Reyes appeared in nine matches and racked up four shutouts, developing his shot blocking. In April, the club twice included him in the first-team match-day squad.
With the path to minutes temporarily blocked at Atlanta United, “an opportunity arose that made sense for both parties” and Reyes moved to Norwich City after being scouted at a youth international competition, signing a “long-term deal” with the English Championship side. “It feels amazing, it’s a dream come true to come to England,” he told his new club’s official website. “I spoke to the ‘keeper coach and said I want to take it day-by-day, and don’t get ahead of myself. I can’t wait to get started here.”
In his first year at Norwich, Reyes stuck mostly with the Under-21 team, featuring in eight matches, and was included on the senior bench for five league and cup fixtures – along with the “more physical and technical” play, adjusting to the wind, rain, and cold weather presented a challenge. He also embarked on two separate loans. The first was a 28-day contract with Braintree Town in the sixth-tier National League South, resulting in six appearances; the second was an emergency seven-day deal with League Two side Forest Green Rovers that was extended through the end of the season, with the goalkeeper featuring 16 times and earning Player of the Month and EFL Team of the Week as the club endured relegation.
To start this past season, Reyes was sent on loan to Cambridge in League One on what was initially a season-long deal. He made 23 total appearances with five shutouts, reaching the third round of the FA Cup. However, after being demoted to back-up with an “error in [the] Boxing Day defeat to Charlton” and his parent club seeking to work with him, Norwich activated a recall. The goalkeeper was praised for “fantastic [performances], handling himself well, and contributing,” resulting in disappointment at his premature departure.
Having “progressed well and gained valuable experience,” the Canaries signed him to a new contract through 2027 with an additional year option. Shortly after, Reyes made his debut in the 1-1 draw against Oxford United. He compiled three more appearances, starting in a 3-2 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday and a 3-1 loss to Millwall and making a one-minute cameo to close out a 4-2 victory over Cardiff as Norwich finished at 13th in the Championship table. Significant upheaval will ensue over the summer with starter Angus Gunn leaving, back-up George Long supposedly departing, and a new manager on the way, which could have a profound impact on the developing talent.
“He has no weaknesses,” said Chile’s goalkeeping coach Bruno Vásquez after the Norwich debut. “He needs to get minutes. Reyes is consistent in every way. He’s good with his feet, especially his right foot. He struggles a bit, but he works with his left foot. He’s good in the air... His runs are good. He’s a complete player... In today’s game, he meets the required physical parameters. Offensively, he struggles a bit with his feet, but practice is important.”
At the international level, Reyes is eligible for the USMNT and Chile through heritage and was named to training camps for his birth nation’s Under-14 and Under-16 teams. After being contacted by a scout through Instagram, he became a regular for La Roja (The Red One) youth sides; the program included him on the roster for the 2019 U-17 World Cup and at the 2023 U-20 South American Championship, playing every minute in all four Group B matches in the latter competition but failing to reach the final stage and qualify for the ensuing U-20 World Cup. The goalkeeper then featured in all four fixtures with the Under-23 squad at last year’s CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament, starting all four and earning praise as “one of the few redeemable players” as his team was eliminated during the preliminary stage.
Reyes earned his first senior call-up with Chile last fall during World Cup qualifying, staying on the bench during losses to Brazil and Colombia. He was named to the roster for the next camp but once again failed to make an appearance against Peru or Venezuela. After being on the outside for the most recent fixtures in March, his international future, while provisionally cap-tied, technically remains open.
Standing at 6’4”, Reyes is a goalkeeper who is able to control his box with a regular collection of crosses and boasts “great reflexes.” He has “enormous potential” and “is in the mold of today’s [prototype]” by being “good with his feet, feeling comfortable further forward, and solving problems under pressure.” Teammates praise his composure and maturity, while observers note “comfort when required to make decisions and execute actions.”
“Reyes has the height and reach to claim crosses and deal with shots into the corners of the goal frame,” Jakub Szewczyk wrote for Target Scouting. “Unlike other tall goalkeepers though, Reyes has supreme agility and brilliant reflexes... Surprisingly for a goalkeeper, Reyes seemed to be very quick off the mark... His first touch is great and he doesn’t look clumsy or anxious with the ball at his feet. Perhaps the thing that makes Reyes even more impressive is that he caught almost every shot. Whenever possible, Reyes [catches] the ball from shots and crosses.”
Goalkeeper is a difficult position at which to develop due to the obvious limitations of a single available spot in the lineup. Reyes has been able to pick up experience with his loans and could begin to challenge for further playing time with Norwich in the Championship next season. His international future appears settled, but perhaps fate could shift and open the door for a switch to the USMNT.
