One of the notable aspect tales of the US’ World Cup was Borussia Dortmund’s Giovanni Reyna. Reyna is seen as one of many US’ brightest younger stars, labored lengthy and exhausting to return to health and efficiently did so. Absolutely he will probably be one of the crucial necessary gamers for the US. However Reyna solely performed about seven minutes through the World Cup group phases.
This baffled US followers.
Criticism for US coach Gregg Berhalter, because it at all times does, was piling up. What was the purpose of leaving the younger star out of the lineup?
However just lately, information has come out that put this omission in a distinct mild. First, Berhalter talked about an unnamed participant “not assembly their expectations” to the HOW Institute, particularly referencing how he and the teaching workers even deliberated sending the participant residence after this unnamed participant had already made the journey to Qatar and the way the participant needed to apologize to the management group with a view to keep on the World Cup. Upon listening to this information, lots of followers assumed it was Reyna, attributable to his minutes being so restricted.
Simply an hour or two later, The Athletic got here out with a report that acknowledged that Giovanni Reyna had proven a scarcity of effort in coaching and the scrimmage earlier than the World Cup and the way Reyna finally apologize to the staff. It doesn’t take a level in media literacy to learn between the traces right here. There may be little doubt that Reyna was the participant Berhalter talked about.
If that was not sufficient, journalist Jason McIntyre dropped this bomb that the USMNT held a vote on Reyna and practically half of the staff needed to ship him residence:
Right here’s the story I alluded to on the herd and talked extra about on the podcast. One factor I didn’t reveal but that isn’t within the story – the vote to ship Reyna residence was 13 keep, 12 go residence Sources: US virtually despatched Reyna residence from WC https://t.co/VqLpsLQkLk— Jason McIntyre (@jasonrmcintyre) December 12, 2022
So the place does that depart the US and Giovanni Reyna? Clearly, the truth that Reyna was practically kicked out of the squad for his effort is a horrible indictment of his conduct on the World Cup, but it wasn’t all dangerous. Berhalter additionally talked about how, after the apology, there have been no points with the participant. Plainly Reyna’s conduct began to actually enhance after these points got here to a head. And he could effectively have been rewarded for this improved conduct.
Regardless of solely enjoying these seven minutes through the group stage, he acquired to play 45 minutes within the knockout spherical loss to the Netherlands. What’s necessary for the staff, the coach and particularly the participant, is that they put this expertise behind them and ensure that the appropriate classes had been realized from that have, as seemingly occurred in the direction of the tip of the squad’s World Cup run. If that occurs in the long term as effectively, this complete debacle will solely quantity to being a tiny hiccup.