Gio Reyna says he was “pissed” at barely playing in the 2022 World Cup, but representing the United States at the tournament was a “dream come true”.
- Reyna barely played at 2022 World Cup
- Him and US boss Berhalter had falling out in Qatar
- Dortmund man reflects on ‘dream’ tournament
WHAT HAPPENED?
The Borussia Dortmund man played just over 50 minutes overall in the United States’ four World Cup games in Qatar in 2022 – which then led him to butt heads with head coach Gregg Berhalterduring and after the competition. While the details behind that are lengthy and complicated, the 21-year-old seems to be in a much better place when reflecting on that tournament more than 18 months ago.
WHAT GIO REYNA SAID
When asked if the 2022 World Cup was fun, he told Yahoo: “Uummm… it’s one of those things, when you’re in the moment, you wish you’re playing, you’re pissed you’re not playing.
“I was 19 and I did get to play in a World Cup. Looking back, when my career is done — it’s really a dream come true. And it was still a good experience with a good group of guys. So, it was awesome.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
In December 2022, Berhalter said – in an off-the-record interview that got leaked – an anonymous US player was “not meeting the expectations on and off the field” at the World Cup. While Reyna was not specifically called out, he later apologised for letting his “emotions” get the best of him, but was “disappointed” at public revelations about his alleged lack of effort at the World Cup. Fast-forward to the present, however, and it appears to be water under the bridge – with Reyna and Berhalter in a good spot together.
WHAT NEXT?
Reyna is preparing for another big tournament on the global stage, namely the Copa America. The USMNT begin their campaign against Bolivia on June 23, before taking on Panama four days later, and then rounding off the group stages against Uruguay on July 1.
