Speaking to The Athletic, USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter discussed attacker Gio Reyna’s lack of minutes on loan with Nottingham Forest ahead of the upcoming CONCACAF Nations League semifinals in March.
Berhalter also discussed captain and midfielder Tyler Adams potentially returning from his hamstring injury in time for the competition.
‘We know Gio is a creative player. We know he’s a great player for the final pass,’ Berhalter said of Reyna.
‘And you know, we have to see what he can do in terms of workload, how long he could last in the field because he hasn’t been playing, but we also see other options as well.’
Since moving from Borussia Dortmund to Nottingham Forest on loan in January Reyna has recorded only 39 minutes after spending most of the season as a substitute in Germany.
USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter discussed attacker Gio Reyna’s lack of minutes this year
Reyna is currently on loan with Nottingham Forrest and has only played 39 minutes
Berhalter has been at odds with the Reyna’s after a World Cup controversy with Gio
Berhalter went on to mention that the United States has ‘quality players in that position,’ before mentioning players like Yunus Musah, Weston McKennie, Malik Tillman and Luca De La Torre.
‘For us, it’s trying to figure out exactly what we need in (each) game,’ said Berhalter. ‘But knowing that we have a lot of options to choose from.
‘We’re trying to figure out how we’re going to beat the teams that we’re playing against, what we need on the field to beat the team that we’re going to play against and then who can do that.’
Reyna and Berhalter have filled the headlines related to the national team with controversy over the last year or so after the sides have been at odds since the World Cup.
An entire scandal kicked off when Berhalter spoke at a conference after the World Cup had ended. At that conference, he told stories about a player who had issues before the start of the tournament.
Those comments were later revealed to be about Gio – who was upset that he was being relegated to a bench role in the tournament – and led to his parents revealing serious allegations about Berhalter from their college days.
Claudio and Danielle Reyna – longtime family friends of the Berhalters – revealed that Berhalter had kicked his now-wife Rosalind in a drunken row while they both attended the University of North Carolina.
The two reconciled months later and they have been together – without a similar incident – ever since.
Berhalter also discussed Tyler Adams potential return to the USMNT amid injury concerns
Adams has missed most of the season with a hamstring injury but recently returned to practice
However, this revelation led to an investigation into Berhalter that began as his contract had expired.
After months of a probe led by law firm Alston & Bird, Berhalter was found to have not committed any similar acts and US Soccer kept him in consideration for the USMNT job.
Following months of a coaching search, Crocker re-appointed Berhalter to his post through the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Berhalter and Adams on the other hand have had no issues during the last year, although the USA captain has sat out most of the season with a hamstring injury that has kept him out of action since September 27.
‘Copa America I think is something that is more realistic, but I wouldn’t rule out Nations League because (Adams) is training with his team now,’ Berhalter said. ‘He’s back to training. So there’s possibilities.’
Berhalter also said ‘yes, potentially’ when asked if Adams could be called up just to be around the squad even if he doesn’t play.