Gregg Berhalter ‘betrayed’ Gio Reyna at World Cup: Herculez Gomez

Former USMNT star Herculez Gomez slammed Gregg Berhalter for his treatment of Gio Reyna.

After Reyna had reportedly acted out in training before the team’s tournament-opening draw with Wales, which he did not play in, he apologized to the team and agreed with Berhalter that the situation had been resolved and would be kept in house.

While speaking at the HOW Institute for Society’s Summit on Moral Leadership following the USMNT’s World Cup exit, however, Berhalter referenced the situation without identifying Reyna by name. Amid wide-scale confusion surrounding Reyna’s lack of playing time at the tournament, it was easy to connect the dots.

“Your one job is the collective,” Gomez said on ESPN’s Futbol Americas show. “Your one job is to treat that locker room like it’s a sanctuary. Giovanni Reyna’s statement, Gregg Berhalter’s own words of keeping things in house, betrayed right there.”

Already starring for German power Borussia Dortmund, the 20-year-old Reyna was expected to play a pivotal role at the World Cup, but only ended up making two brief substitute appearances. The Athletic reported that Reyna lacked intensity in training in the lead-up to the Wales game, which only intensified after not playing in the match.

Berhalter revealed that he even considered sending Reyna home from the World Cup due to his attitude.

“In this last World Cup, we had a player that was clearly not meeting expectations on and off the field,” Berhalter told the symposium. “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 disputed his manager’s comments, though.

Although he acknowledged he reacted improperly, Reyna claimed that Berhalter told him before the tournament started that he would not have a large role on the team or be involved much. After apologizing to his teammates, Reyna said he was under the belief that all was good and that the situation would stay within the team.

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“I hoped not to comment on matters at the World Cup,” Reyna wrote on Instagram. “It is my belief that things that happen in a team setting ought to remain private. That being said, statements have been made that reflect on my professionalism and character, so I feel the need to make a brief statement. …I fully acknowledge that I let my emotions get the best of me and affect my training and behavior for a few days after learning about my limited role.

“I apologized to my teammates and coach for this, and I was told I was forgiven. Thereafter, I shook off my disappointment and gave everything I had on and off the field.

“I am disappointed that there is continuing coverage of this matter (as well as some highly fictionalized versions of events) and extremely surprised that anyone on the U.S. men’s team staff would contribute to it. 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.”

Gomez, who played on the USMNT’s 2010 World Cup team, was most bothered by Berhalter’s making the incident public, and going against his own word.

“I’ve not been to many symposiums, I can’t imagine you’d tell a mass number of people, ‘Shhhh, keep this between us.’ What do you get out of that? By singling out a player, not naming him, knowing someone will talk, it will get out,” Gomez said. “And having it get out this way, saying ‘My bad, I thought that was off the record, I said off the record,’ it’s a betrayal. He betrayed that locker room. And if I’m another player in that locker room, how could I ever trust him again?”