Football

World Cup 2022: Reyna’s training issues in the open after Berhalter slip

USMNT made it to the Round of 16, bowing out at the hands of the Netherlands. Giovanni Reyna was a peculiar passenger in their Qatar adventures, accumulating a paltry 52 minutes despite his pedigree. 

Gio Reyna

Jude Bellingham went from strength to strength in the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The Borussia Dortmund third-captain was an ever-present figure for the Three Lions, earning praise for his mature performances. 

Giovanni Reyna shares the dressing room with the English starlet and was supposed to alight Qatar with his dazzling displays. However, he was sporadically used by Gregg Berhalter. Reyna was only appeared twice, both of the times from the bench and only accrued 52 minutes.

It was opined that he did not fit into Team America’s all-action style of play. By the time they exited, USMNT had travelled the most distance on the football pitch. It played a part in his absence but it was more of an attitude issue than a physical one.

The mystery player who didn’t train hard enough

At a talk at the HOW Institute for Society’s Summit on Moral Leadership, the USMNT coach shared his experiences at Qatar 2022. In off-the-record comments, he revealed that in a squad of 26, only one player did not give his all and slacked off. 

In consultation with his coaches, Berhalter developed a strategy to tackle the issue. The player in question would have been on his way back but they decided to give him a chance and the situation was amicably resolved after a public apology to the team. 

“Every day you come into the locker room and you’re checking the scales to see where guys are at, to see what issues can arise. You always have to be ready to hit issues head-on, using your values as a filter,” Berhalter shared. 

“An example I can give you: In this last World Cup, we had a player 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. And what it came down to was, we’re going to have one more conversation with him, and part of the conversation was how we’re going to behave from here out. There aren’t going to be any more infractions.

Reyna the mystery-slacking player

Given the high-profile comments by Berhalter and the increased prominence of football in the US, a witchhunt began to find the player. Reyna was found to be the guilty party in this particular instance. 

The Athletic confirmed the story with sources inside the USA camp. It was acknowledged that the footballing royalty was indeed the player the head coach was referring to. The sources asked for anonymity but it has opened a PR issue for Team USA. 

Alongside Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie, Reyna is seen as the future of American football. He is being groomed at Dortmund, the best venue for a budding young footballer to develop. 

His attitude has left question marks on whether USMNT can rely on him in the future. Reyna has released a message on his Instagram account that shares his side of the deed. The 20-year-old shared that he was never in the plans of his manager, a fact that distraught him as he was informed about his decision before the World Cup.

It also begs the question that comments that single out a player are worthy of USA’s football head coach.


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