FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. – United States men’s national team midfielder Gio Reyna said that he’s matured since the last World Cup, and feels the experience that the squad has from the 2022 World Cup will help with the “little details.”
Reyna’s previous World Cup experience saw him nearly sent home from Qatar in 2022 by then-coach Gregg Berhalter over a perceived lack of effort in training. That episode spilled into the open when Berhalter spoke after the World Cup and resulted in a public feud between the Berhalter and Reyna families.
“Obviously, a lot has changed; married now, have a dog,” he said during a roundtable with reporters on Friday. “I just like to say, I matured and grown up in many aspects of my life. It’s hard to pinpoint one.
“And then as a player, I think I just understand the game a bit more where maybe when I was a bit young, I was just out there playing, doing what I felt. Now there’s obviously still that component to it, but there’s so much more that goes into the game tactically and what coaches and what teams need.”
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While the conflict that erupted in the aftermath of the tournament is never far from the public’s mind, Reyna said he’s weary of the incident being brought up.
“It’s obviously a little bit tiring at this point at the end,” he said. “It doesn’t really affect me anymore. I’m just, to me, it more confuses me when I get asked the question still. It’s obviously four years removed and I think everyone is so far removed from that.
“So yeah, it’s hard for me to even think about that because I never really do and I’m just at the moment obviously just thinking about this World Cup and what I can do to help the team.
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“So yeah, like I said, it’s a little bit tiring, but in the end, I understand the business and that these questions pop up, but yeah, I’m so far past that and I’m just looking forward to this World Cup.”
Reyna endured a difficult club season with Bundesliga side Borussia Mönchengladbach, one in which he scored just one goal and logged just 137 minutes of playing time since the start of 2026. That made Reyna somewhat of a surprise inclusion by U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino on the 26-player roster.
But Reyna got on the field more often as a substitute during the latter stages of the league season, and said that will help him with the USMNT.
“I think obviously not been starting, but it’s been good chunks of minutes, I would say,” he said. “I think rhythm comes from game time, which I feel even those 30, 20-minute stints definitely help.
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“But in the end, it also comes down to training well every day and preparing yourself, which I feel like I try to do whether I’m playing 90 minutes in a good situation or not playing at all. So it’s just the consistent body of work every day showing up and trying to get better.”
Reyna said he valued the support of Pochettino, who has gone out of his way to praise the player and what he brings to the squad.
“Me and Mauricio have a great relationship,” Reyna said. “Yeah, I feel like he trusts me and he values me so that’s all you can ask for as a player and I’m very grateful for his words and sort of constant support. So yeah, it’s just a great relationship. He’s brought good energy to the team and we hope to do something, all together, something great.”
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The U.S. has 13 holdovers from the previous World Cup in Qatar, including Reyna, and the player expressed confidence that will serve the team well this summer.
“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.
“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.”
