American scores five as Scottish powerhouse rolls over domestic and European opposition

He’s yet to be besieged at home by fans, adoring or otherwise, but just as a precaution, Claudio Reyna would prefer not to reveal the name of the Glasgow street on which he lives. “I’d rather keep that private,” said Reyna, who moved his wife, Danielle, and infant son, Jack, into a house a few days before his club Rangers took on Parma in the Champions League. “Things are going so good right now, you don’t think anything bad could ever happen. But it pays to be careful.” For the record, the Reynas live in Newton Mears, located about a 10-minute drive from the Glasgow city center. Many Rangers players live nearby ù Reyna’s next-door neighbor is teammate Michael Mols ù as well as a few who toil for bitter rival Glasgow Celtic. “We had to wait for it to be finished, which is why we didn’t move in sooner,” said Reyna, who skipped playing for the U.S. in the Confederations Cup in July at the behest of Rangers manager Dick Advocaat so the American could settle in. “It’s a great neighborhood, a great house. We couldn’t wait to move in; we were still living in the [Glasgow Hilton] hotel, and that gets old pretty quick.” The chances of Rangers fans camping out near the Reyna home certainly rose in the first few weeks of the new season, for as Rangers conquered all challengers in Scotland and Europe, Reyna was convincing skeptics with every clever touch and dazzling observers with a five-goal flurry. A vital strike off Reyna’s right foot in the 75th minute of Rangers’ first leg against Parma Aug. 11 sent a raucous Ibrox crowd into delirium and the Scottish powerhouse into the second leg with a 2-0 lead.

Second goal sets up second leg

Enthusiasm and confidence bubbled forth from the Rangers camp in the wake of Reyna’s goal, a low, short-range blast through a cluster of legs. The goal came after more than a half hour of sustained, yet controlled pressure as a nervous Ibrox crowd bayed for a second goal and prayed that Parma ù playing 10 against 11 ù wouldn’t equalize. “We knew how important it was to get that second goal, but at the same time, we had to defend and play smart in the back, and it was just as important not to give one up at home,” said Reyna, who had two good scoring chances in the first half saved by Parma keeper Gianluca Buffon. “It was great to get the goal, not for myself, but for what it meant for the team,” said Reyna, whose tactical acumen Advocaat cited ù along with his skills ù to explain the surprise purchase of the U.S. midfielder last March. “With a two-goal lead, it meant they really had to attack us in Parma, and [Advocaat] changed our system. We knew we had to defend, and they really came at us from the beginning, but after the first 20 minutes, they hadn’t scored, and we started to play more and frustrate them.” For the second leg, Advocaat switched from a 4-3-3 to a heavily defensive 3-5-2 by dropping attacker Neil McCann and inserting Polish defender Dariusz Adamczuk. Reyna was lauded for his defensive play in the second leg against Parma, as well as a pair of probing passes that created scoring chances. Buffon turned away one with a superb save, the other shot hit the goalpost. Parma did break through in the 68th minute on an error by goalkeeper Leonel Charbonnier, but Rangers held off subsequent attacks to preserve a 2-1 aggregate victory.

Live every week in Kearny

Now starts the real pressure. A club with more than a century of tradition and a way of life for fans in Glasgow and around the world, Rangers has only one European trophy ù the 1972 Cup Winners’ Cup, so lowly a competition it was terminated last spring ù to show for 97 Scottish league and cup titles. In many parts of Glasgow and Protestant pockets across Scotland, and in pubs and neighborhoods throughout the world, Rangers reigns supreme. Reyna’s father, Miguel, need only drive 15 minutes to the Scots-American Club in Kearny, N.J., which shows Celtic and Rangers matches every week. “He can see every game,” says Claudio, “and he keeps asking me why I can score so many goals in Scotland.” But in the rough-and-tumble neighborhoods of European play, Rangers is a sissy. Only once in this decade has Rangers reached the final eight of a European competition. In its last foray into Champions League group play (1996-97), it lost five of six games, winning only a meaningless home finale against Grasshoppers. During the ’90s, Rangers has been bumped out of Europe in the early rounds by lesser lights such as IFK Gothenburg, Strasbourg, Levski Sofia and AEK Athens. Rangers will earn $3 million in the 32-team group phase even if it loses all six matches. But its fans are counting on a strong run, and hold out hope the Blues can at least finish second in a group with Bayern Munich, Valencia and one of Advocaat’s former clubs, PSV Eindhoven. “The people here expect a lot, now that we’ve beaten Parma,” said Reyna. “The crowd in that first [leg] was absolutely incredible. “I’ve never been in an atmosphere like that, and I know I said that when we won the [Scottish] championship, but that was at Celtic Park, and obviously our fans were the minority. “Ibrox was unbelievable. The noise started the moment we first set foot on the field, and you thought it couldn’t get any louder, but it did when we scored, when they had a man sent off, at the final whistle. “I can’t imagine what it will be like when we play Bayern, Valencia and PSV.”

The role of Reyna

In Advocaat’s 4-3-3, Reyna plays on the right side of midfield, but not out wide. He leaves the flank open for overlaps, and surges forward into a channel that can often extend well into the box. “The goals I’ve scored have all been different situations,” said Reyna. “We rely on movement. The coach tells us we’re an attacking team, a passing team, and if you move, you’ll get the ball.” In addition to his goal against Parma, Reyna has scored four in the Scottish league. One was a splendid free kick to trigger a 4-1 romp over Dundee United, the other three came during the run of play. The season opener July 31 against Kilmarnock at Ibrox featured not only a winning goal by Reyna, but the unfurling of the Premier League championship flag, which will fly over Ibrox all season. Reyna’s goal-laden start has prompted the appearances of other flags at Ibrox during Rangers’ home matches and the screenings of away games (admission: 5 pounds, or about $8). A few Stars and Stripes dot the backdrop in tribute to the Rangers’ young American, who didn’t score in his six games with the club last season. U.S. head coach Bruce Arena, who coached Reyna for three years at Virginia, says the former Cavalier is a much more complete player than he is given credit for. “It’s nice that he’s scoring goals,” says Arena, “but I can’t see why people are getting all excited. If he keeps scoring and has 30 at the end of the season that will be something to get excited about. He can score goals. During his last year at Virginia, I played him for about half of the season at forward. “Claudio is a very good player. He sees the game as well as any player in this country, he has great skill on the ball, he moves well, and he works hard defensively. He’s much more of a complete player than a lot of people give him credit for.” by Soccer America senior editor Ridge Mahoney