US Men's football star Gio Reyna has taken aim at head coach Gregg Berhalter for leaking their World Cup fallout. The 20-year-old midfielder took to his Instagram page on Monday to clear the air about allegations levelled against him and also apologize for his behavior in camp at Qatar.
About week ago Gregg Berhalter supposedly referenced Reyna in a speech he gave at the HOW Institute for Society Summit on Moral Leadership in New York. During the USMNT's World Cup campaign in Qatar, the 49-year-old came under immense criticism for omitting the Borussia Dortmund playmaker from the group game against Wales. Despite blaming his decision on the player's fitness, his claims were refuted by the midfielder who insisted that he was in a good shape.
According ESPN, Reyna's teammates and coaches spoke to him after his revelation and was asked to issue an apology shortly afterwards. Prior to that, Coach Berhalter and his technical team had reportedly discussed the idea of sending the Borussia Dortmund man home as a result of his poor work ethic, lack of effort and intensity in training, a call he reiterated in his speech last week.
"[We] had a player [in Qatar] that was clearly not meeting expectations on and off the field. One of 26 players, so it stood out. As a staff, we sat together for hours deliberating what we were going to do with this player.
"We were ready to book a plane ticket home, that's how extreme it was," Berhalter said. He added that the player subsequently apologized and "really took ownership of that process. And from that day on there were no issues with this player."
Reyna, who was only limited to a little of 50 minutes of football action in Qatar, has since hit back at the USMNT head coach on Instagram. On Monday, the 20-year-old issued a statement laying out details of his talks with Gregg Berhalter and expressed his disappointment on how the issue has been handled.
"I am disappointed that there is continuing coverage of this matter … and extremely surprised that anyone on the US men's team staff would contribute to it," an excerpt of the post reads.
"Coach Berhalter has always said that issues that arise with the team will stay 'in house' so we can focus on team unity and progress … I hope that going forward each person involved in US Soccer focuses on what is in the best interest of the men's national team so we can enjoy great success at the World Cup in 2026."
A number of Reyna's USMNT teammates including Yunus Musah, Joe Scally, Weston McKennie and Tim Ream have since 'liked' the post.
