Gio Reyna says he has put the 2022 World Cup controversy behind him and is focused on helping the U.S. team this summer, as he prepares to begin the campaign Friday against Paraguay under Mauricio Pochettino.
On the eve of the U.S. campaign opener, Gio Reyna stepped into a different kind of spotlight. Not the one cast by headlines from Qatar four years ago, but the one that comes with a Friday match against Paraguay—the moment he says matters most.
Reyna told AFP on Tuesday that he has “put the controversy of the 2022 World Cup behind” him and is “solely focussed on helping the co-hosts succeed this summer.” He framed the choice bluntly: rewriting his personal story isn’t the priority anymore. “It doesn’t matter to me any more. I want to score a goal to help this team win … That’s really it,” he said.
The controversy did not fade quietly. It erupted in Doha after the 2022 tournament. when it emerged that Reyna had almost been sent home from the camp by then-coach Gregg Berhalter over his attitude in training. The situation escalated into a wider. more damaging argument—one that drew in Reyna’s family and included a historic assault allegation.
That allegation resurfaced when Reyna’s mother, Danielle Reyna—a former U.S. women’s team international—told U.S. Soccer about a physical altercation in 1991 between Berhalter and his then girlfriend, now wife. Berhalter was later cleared after a probe by the federation.
Even as that clearance came, the story has continued to dog Reyna. Still, the player’s message has shifted toward action rather than explanation. He is in Mauricio Pochettino’s squad for this year’s U.S. campaign, which begins Friday against Paraguay.
The path back to the spotlight has not been straightforward. Reyna’s spot in this tournament surprised some pundits because of his limited recent game time for German club side Borussia Monchengladbach. Since the start of the year. he has made only eight appearances in the Bundesliga—and all of those came as substitute appearances.
But Reyna insists maturity is part of what he brings now. Speaking to reporters last month, he said he has “matured” since those earlier days and pointed to an entire squad that is more experienced than it was in 2022. The U.S., he said, fielded the World Cup’s second-youngest roster at the time.
“I think last World Cup, maybe we’re all just a little bit young. I think it’s normal to struggle in certain big moments like we did last tournament with most of the team being 23 or younger,” Reyna said.
“So yeah, I think the biggest strength now is everyone is just four years older and has matured as players and as people. So these little details will help us in the long run.”
As the U.S. prepares for Group D—which also includes Australia and Turkey—Reyna’s stance reads like a deliberate reset: the scandal is part of the past, and the summer is for what he can do on the pitch.
He may still be a target for old narratives in the build-up, but he’s made his decision clear. For now, he wants the focus to be the simplest kind of ambition: goals that help the team win.
Gio Reyna USMNT Paraguay Mauricio Pochettino 2022 World Cup Gregg Berhalter Danielle Reyna Borussia Monchengladbach Group D Australia Turkey
Good, just score. Nobody cares about Qatar drama anymore.
Wait so they cleared him like totally? I’m confused, because I saw something about that Berhalter stuff again on TikTok sooooo.
I think he should’ve just stayed out of the spotlight if that family drama is still floating around. Also, how is Paraguay the first game when they’re still dealing with 2022? Seems like the coach just wants clicks.
This article makes it sound like he’s “put it behind him” but the story about the assault allegation from 1991 is still there… like how do you put that behind you in one quote? I bet he’s only in the squad because Pochettino feels bad.