Gio Reyna scapegoating creates a problem for Gregg Berhalter
By Cris Italia
As the World Cup was winding down last week, it leaked out that USA manager Gregg Berhalter told one of his youngest stars that there was no role for him on the squad, let alone the starting eleven.
That youngster, Gio Reyna, took to Instagram after the USA was eliminated by the Netherlands in the round of 16 to apologize for his approach to the tournament.
“It is my belief that things that happen in a team setting ought to remain private,” Reyna wrote. “That being said, just before the World Cup, Coach Berhalter told me that my role at the tournament would be very limited. I was devastated.”
Reyna went on to say that he had a hard time controlling his emotions and let the talk get the best of him. He apologized for being a distraction to the team, if he was at all.
Gio Reyna struggled to crack the US team at the World Cup
That apology came after it was leaked that his emotions got the best of him at the tournament, and that some teammates may have had a problem with it. A vote was taken by some of the leaders of the team on whether Reyna should remain with the squad. Clearly, he won the vote.
The leak comes at a very convenient time for Berhalter, who is fighting to keep his job. Instead of pointing inward at his shortcomings as a manager, he decided to use one of his players as a distraction. Forget all that for the time being though – what kind of manager tells one of his most talented players, right before the biggest tournament of their lives, that his position on the team was irrelevant? “Get used to the bench kid, we won’t be using you.”
Reyna was wrong for letting his emotions become some kind of distraction, but he’s 20 years old. What’s Berhalter’s excuse?
The next four years will be the most important years in U.S. soccer history. It hasn’t been made official either way yet, but the USA may have to qualify for World Cup 2026 despite being one of the host countries. With the expansion to 48 teams, the likelihood of the USA not qualifying is slim.
Being a host country immediately adds pressure. This is a chance for USA not only to show the world they’re ready to step up, but that Major League Soccer has become one of the better leagues in the world. There is no doubt that in four years, the USA will field the most talented team in its history.
One of those players will undoubtedly be Gio Reyna. He will be six years into a professional career in Europe and most likely starting full-time on a top-five team in whatever league he’s playing in. Does anyone really want his USA manager to be Berhalter, who didn’t believe in him enough at the age of 20 to be a contributor to this team?
If Berhalter holds on to his job, be prepared for four years of questions about him and Gio. He may have needed a distraction after the tournament to shift blame away from him, but if Berhalter stays on he’s going to regret creating a distraction where there wasn’t one. The next four years will be about their relationship with Gio and less about anything else.
Want your voice heard? Join the MLS Multiplex team!