Gio Reyna is back on Gregg Berhalter's US roster for the first time since family feud
Thu, Oct 5, 2023
Soccer News (AP)
CHICAGO (AP) - Gio Reyna is on Gregg Berhalter's U.S. roster for the first time since a family feud caused the coach to lose his job for the first five months of this year.
The 20-year midfielder was among 23 players selected Thursday for exhibition games against Germany on Oct. 14 at East Hartford, Connecticut, and Ghana three days later at Nashville, Tennessee.
Reyna has not played a first-team match since he sustained a hairline fracture in a bone in his right leg during the CONCACAF Nations League semifinal against Canada on June 18.
A son of former U.S. captain Claudio Reyna and midfielder Danielle Egan, Gio Reyna was limited to a pair of substitute appearances at last year's World Cup. Berhalter said during a management conference after the tournament that he nearly sent a player home from Qatar for lack of effort during training, remarks Berhalter thought were not going to be made public and clearly were about Reyna.
Reyna's parents contacted the U.S. Soccer Federation about a three-decades-old domestic violence allegation involving Berhalter and the woman who later became his wife. Berhalter was replaced by a pair of interim coaches and, after a law firm retained by the USSF determined he did not improperly withhold information when he was hired in 2018, was rehired in June to resume coaching in September.
Captain Tyler Adams will miss the matches because of the recurrence of a hamstring injury that has limited him to one game since March 11.
Heidenheim midfielder Lennard Maloney could make his U.S. debut. Maloney, who turns 24 on Monday, played for the U.S. under-20 team in 2018 and also has played for Germany youth teams.
Among those dropped who had been on the September roster were defenders Mark McKenzie and Antonee Robinson and forward Cade Cowell.
Defender Cameron Carter-Vickers was picked after returning from a hamstring injury Wednesday. He was a second-half substitute for Glasgow Celtic and was dispossessed in injury time, leading to a tiebreaking goal in a 2-1 loss to Lazio in the Champions League.
Just two players are with Major League Soccer teams.
The match in Connecticut will mark the debut of Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann, who took over Sept. 22 after Hansi Flick was fired.
The roster:
Goalkeepers: Ethan Horvath (Nottingham Forest, England), Matt Turner (Nottingham Forest, England)
Defenders: Cameron Carter-Vickers (Glasgow Celtic, Scotland), Sergino Dest (PSV Eindhoven, Netherlands), DeJuan Jones (New England), Kristoffer Lund (Palermo, Italy), Tim Ream (Fulham, England), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace, England), Miles Robinson (Atlanta), Joe Scally (Borussia Monchengladbach, Germany)
Midfielders: Johnny Cardoso (Internacional, Brazil), Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo, Spain), Lennard Maloney (Heidenheim, Germany), Weston McKennie (Juventus, Italy), Yunus Musah (AC Milan, Italy), Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund, Germany), Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven, Netherlands)
Forwards: Brenden Aaronson (Union Berlin, Germany), Folarin Balogun (Monaco), Kevin Paredes (Wolfsburg, Germany), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven, Netherlands), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan Italy), Tim Weah (Juventus, Italy).
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