American soccer star Gio Reyna said Tuesday he has put the 2022 World Cup controversy behind him and is focusing solely on helping the co-host succeed this summer.
Four years ago, the American midfielder was almost sent home from Qatar after falling out with then-coach Gregg Berhalter in a lurid feud that extended to Reyna’s family and a historic assault allegation.
But Reyna was included in new coach Mauricio Pochettino’s squad for the US campaign that starts against Paraguay on Friday.
And while headlines about the incident continue to haunt Reyna, he said doing well to help the team was more important than rewriting his personal story.
«I don’t care anymore. I want to score a goal to help this team win… That’s really it,» Reyna said. AFP.
The controversy broke out four years ago in Doha when it emerged after the tournament that Reyna had almost been kicked out of the camp by Berhalter because of his attitude in training.
That, in turn, led to Reyna’s mother — former U.S. women’s national team international Danielle — informing US Soccer of a physical altercation in 1991 between Berhalter and his then-girlfriend and now wife. The coach was acquitted after an investigation by the federation.
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Reyna told reporters last month that he has «matured» since then, noting that the entire squad is more experienced. The US had fielded the second-youngest squad for the 2022 World Cup.
«I think maybe in the last World Cup we were all a bit young. I think it’s normal to struggle in some big moments, like in the last tournament, where most of the team was 23 or younger,» he said.
“So yeah, I think the biggest strength now is that everyone is only four years older and have matured as players and as people, so these little details will help us in the long run.”
Controversy aside, Reyna’s participation in this year’s tournament surprised some experts, given his lack of recent playing time for German club Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Reyna has made just eight appearances in the Bundesliga since the turn of the year, all as a substitute.
But the 23-year-old remains one of the most technically gifted attacking players at Pochettino’s disposal as the Argentina coach prepares for a Group D that also includes Australia and Turkey.
Published on June 10, 2026
