With two goals against Ghana, Gio Reyna shows his importance to USMNT

Last Friday, Gregg Berhalter made it clear: He's ready for the controversy that has roiled the United States men's national soccer team over the last 10-plus months to be left in the past.

"I know that's gonna be on people's mind," Berhalter, the USMNT coach, told reporters before the team's 3-1 friendly defeat to Germany. "What I'd say is that we're moving forward. I don't really want to talk too much about the past. I think it's about talking about the future."

The past: an ugly dispute between Berhalter and Gio Reyna, one of the USMNT's most promising young stars, made public shortly after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Saturday's game against Germany and Tuesday's friendly against Ghana marked Reyna's first two games back with the USMNT under Berhalter. While the pair's relationship will undoubtedly need time to heal fully, the past two games hinted that the future could be a bright one.

Reyna scored twice in the first half as the U.S. routed Ghana, 4-0, at Geodis Park in Nashville. The goals were his first two international tallies since June 6, 2021.

"This performance was really an indicator of his entire camp," Berhalter said. "He had a very strong camp, great mindset, great training sessions."

At one point, Reyna's mindset during training wasn't as great — and that's precisely what led to the rift between him and Berhalter. Leading up to the World Cup, Berhalter told Reyna that his role in Qatar would be limited. Reyna, in response, sulked. At a post-World Cup leadership conference in December, Berhalter described the midfielder's lack of effort, believing his comments would remain private. They didn't, and all hell broke loose.

Reyna's parents, both former U.S. internationals, reacted to Berhalter's public criticism of their son by contacting the U.S. Soccer Federation to inform them that three decades ago, Berhalter had assaulted his then-girlfriend, now-wife, while they were both in college.

Berhalter's contract expired at the end of December. Interim coaches Anthony Hudson, and later B.J. Callaghan, led the USMNT for more than five months before the USSF rehired Berhalter in June after concluding that he had not withheld information when he was originally hired, and that the 1992 domestic violence incident was an isolated event.

Callaghan coached the U.S. at the CONCACAF Nations League in June, during which Reyna played an important role in leading the USMNT to the championship. However, in the final against Canada, Reyna suffered a hairline fracture in his right leg. As a result, Berhalter didn't call him up for his first games back in charge, friendlies against Uzbekistan and Oman in September. It was only a few weeks ago that Berhalter and Reyna spoke to each other for the first time since the scandal broke.

One reason for Reyna's limited role in Qatar was the fact that the USMNT's midfield of Weston McKennie, Yunus Musah and Tyler Adams, or "MMA," was solidified. The trio started all four games of the World Cup. It's a trio that offers plenty of athleticism and speed, but one that deprives Reyna of his most effective position, that of a No. 10. In previous appearances for the USMNT, Reyna often was shunted out from his natural role to the wing.

While Adams is almost impossible to replace, his injury in March has given the USMNT chances to build flexibility. Berhalter played Reyna as an attacking midfielder against Germany and Ghana, ahead of McKennie, Musah and Johnny Cardoso and behind Christian Pulisic, Folarin Balogun and Tim Weah. On Tuesday, Reyna had seven passes into the final third and completed 97% of his passes, using his playmaking skills to link the USMNT's midfield with its forward line.

"Besides the goals, it’s how he plays brings players into the attack, how he is able to be calm on the ball," Berhalter said. "He gives us that calm and that poise that we need at times, but then is decisive when we’re making final passes."

UNITED STATES 4, GHANA 0: USMNT routs Ghana in Nashville friendly

Berhalter described Reyna's performance as man-of-the-match caliber, and not only for his offensive contributions. In his 45 minutes before being subbed off at halftime, Reyna put in "relentless work" on defense, according to his coach.

Reyna, who won't turn 21 for another month, is widely regarded as one of the most gifted players in the United States' player pool. It's why his feud with Berhalter has had USMNT fans on edge for months — the potential centerpiece of the USMNT's attack, mired in a toxic situation with his coach.

But there's plenty of time for Reyna and Berhalter to move forward. And a game like Tuesday will help them do so.

"With Gio, what I’ve seen from training session No. 1 in this camp was extreme amount of focus and ability," Berhalter said. "When he plays like that, like he did this entire camp, he’s certainly a guy that can help this group."

Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@gannett.com and on Twitter @Jacob_Shames.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Gio Reyna scores twice for USMNT in second game since scandal