The Worst Kind of Soccer Mom

We should've known that there was more to the Gio Reyna drama during the World Cup.  As it turns out, that was just the tip of the iceberg.  The whole situation has gotten a whole lot messier!  And I'm not entirely sure how this ends without making U.S. Soccer look incredibly bad!

During the World Cup, a report came out about an "unnamed U.S. player" who wasn't meeting the coaching staff's expectations, specifically with his lack of effort in training camp and the warm-up game against a Qatari club.  There was even talk about sending him home.  It was eventually confirmed that said player was Gio Reyna, which probably partly explains Reyna's lack of playing time in the World Cup.

In my objective, outsider's opinion, I have absolutely no issue with the way Reyna's situation was handled.  If he's the only player on the team not putting in the proper effort, call him out for it.  Especially when he was chosen for the roster while other incredibly talented players like Ricardo Pepi and Jordan Pefok were left at home.  Also, Gio Reyna is 20, so the amount of playing time he got at the World Cup was probably going to limited regardless.  Does anybody seriously think he'd start over Christian Pulisic or Timothy Weah (or even Josh Sargent)?

Gio wasn't the only Reyna who was unhappy about his lack of playing time.  His father, Claudio, who was the U.S. captain at the 2006 World Cup, has had a bad relationship with U.S. Head Coach Gregg Berhalter for quite a few years now, so it's no surprise that he was also critical.  What I didn't expect, though, was that Reyna's mother would do something that puts all of those stereotypical soccer moms to shame!

Berhalter's contract expired on New Year's Eve and is yet to be renewed.  The reason is because of a complaint made against him to U.S. Soccer Sporting Director Earnie Stewart on Dec. 11, shortly after the team returned home from the World Cup.  In a statement posted on Twitter, Berhalter mentioned having a confrontation with a "third party," who threatened to "end him" with information that would "take him down."  That third party was Danielle Reyna.

The information in question is regarding a domestic violence incident between Berhalter and his now wife in 1991.  The details are obviously limited and entirely based on hearsay, but the basics are that they had an argument at a bar that became physical, and he kicked her in the legs.  The authorities were never called and the couple later reconciled.  Berhalter admitted to all of this in his account.

Danielle Reyna has a different view of what happened.  She was Rosalind Berhalter's roommate at the time and claims that the abuse and trauma Rosalind suffered (and she helped her get through) were much worse than Gregg Berhalter described.  Which is entirely possible.  I'm not saying her account is wrong.  However, that's not what this is about.

There's one reason and one reason only why Danielle Reyna decided now is the time to bring up something that happened more than 30 years ago.  It's a petty act of revenge.  She's unhappy with the way that someone she considered a friend treated her little boy.  This isn't me saying that.  She's basically admitted it!  And she's proud of herself for it!

This is exactly what you'd expect from a disgruntled parent who goes to the principal because they think their kid should be a varsity starter when, in reality, they're barely good enough to even make the JV team.  Said disgruntled parent then goes out of their way to make the coach look bad, either through an accusation or something else.  That's, 100 percent, the same thing that's happening here.

Make no mistake, this isn't about Gregg Berhalter at all.  This is entirely about Gio Reyna.  Had the big, bad coach not been mean to him, Mommy wouldn't be upset and wouldn't have said anything.  And Berhalter would already have a contract extension instead of having to deal with an internal investigation that threatens his entire career.

I'm not exaggerating by saying that, either.  Danielle Reyna has point blank said it herself: "I thought it was especially unfair that Gio, who had apologized for acting immaturely about his playing time, was still being dragged through the mud when Gregg had asked for and received forgiveness for doing so much worse at the same age...I would have wanted and expected him to give the same grace to Gio.  This is why the current situation is so very hurtful and hard."

For starters, the two situations are entirely different.  What does what Berhalter did to his wife 30 years ago have anything to do with how he handled Gio's situation in Qatar?  In Qatar, he was being a coach who had to make a decision that was best for the entire team.  He had expectations that 25 of the 26 players were meeting.  He called out the one who wasn't.  That's a coach's job. 

It doesn't matter who that player is.  It's the player's job to accept the decision and take accountability.  That's exactly what happened when Weston McKennie was sent home for breaking COVID protocols during one of the qualifying windows.  He understood why, took it like a man, and was welcomed back with open arms.  And it should've been what happened with Gio Reyna in Qatar.  Except it wasn't.

Regardless of what happens with Berhalter, U.S. Soccer has backed themselves into a corner here.  Claudio Reyna has a lot of friends and former teammates among the higher-ups.  Are they going to cater to what he wants in every situation?  If so, they're letting Claudio (and, by extension, Gio) Reyna hold them hostage for the duration of Gio's career with the National Team.  And, if that's the case, what coach would ever even consider taking the job?

And, make no mistake, should U.S. Soccer decide to let Berhalter go, the job would otherwise be a very desirable one.  A very talented young team that will only get better with a bona fide star in Pulisic that reached the knockout phase of the last World Cup and is hosting the next one.  The last thing that coach should have to worry about is making sure they aren't mean to Gio Reyna and that he plays enough to keep Mommy and Daddy happy.  And what kind of message would that send to the other players who actually earn their playing time?!

So, like I said, U.S. Soccer is in a no-win situation here.  And it's really a situation of their own making.  They'll ultimately have to decide how much influence they want Claudio & Danielle Reyna have over the National Team.  They also need to make it clear that the coach (whoever that is) is in charge of who's on the roster and how much playing time they get.  Not them.