USMNT star Gio Reyna gave his opinion on Gregg Berhalter’s firing after liking a post about the news within minutes.
His dismissal followed the United States’ terrible elimination from the Copa America in early July, after two consecutive defeats against Uruguay and Panama.
While fans long called for his dismissal, US Soccer’s failure to survive the group stage proved reason enough to pull the plug on Berhalter’s second stint as coach, just 14 games into his re-appointment.
While the news – originally reported by FOX – was circulating on social media, sports channel Bleacher Report also posted the update on their soccer Instagram accounts.
Less than ten minutes later, Reyna was spotted liking the post, which comes as no surprise to US Soccer fans.
Gio Reyna liked an Instagram post about Greg Berhalter’s firing ten minutes after it came out
Berhalter was fired as head coach of the US national team after an early elimination from the Copa America
Their ugly split played out in front of the public after Reyna missed precious minutes at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The Borussia Dortmund midfielder missed their opening group match, a 1-1 draw with Wales, before appearing for eight forgettable minutes in a goalless draw with England.
With concerns over his lack of playing time, news surfaced that Berhalter was holding Reyna out due to an attitude problem during training. The alleged “lack of effort on the training field” reportedly led the coach to consider sending Reyna home mid-tournament.
Berhalter memorably benched Reyna at the 2022 World Cup due to an ‘attitude problem’
Reyna’s parents interfered by ‘blackmailing’ Berhalter with information about his past
The Americans left Qatar after a 3-1 loss to the Netherlands in the round of 16, with Reyna coming on as a halftime substitute but being largely ineffective. The situation in the States became even grimmer when Reyna’s parents got involved.
After seeing their son thrust onto the big stage for a perceived attitude problem, Danielle and Claudio Reyna delved into Berhalter’s past. The disillusioned parents claimed their then-boyfriend did even worse things in his 20s and brought up a case of domestic abuse from the 1990s.
“I found it especially unfair that Gio, who had apologized for his immaturity regarding his playing time, was still being dragged through the mud, while Gregg had asked for and received forgiveness for something much worse at the same age,” Danielle told U.S. Soccer sporting director Earnie Stewart.
Subsequently, allegations emerged that Berhalter “kicked his wife” during the incident.
The Copa America hosts failed to survive the group stage with Berhalter at the helm
After being reinstated as head coach of the U.S. national team in June 2023, Berhalter was fired just a year later
US Soccer later said it was investigating the incident. Berhalter released details, saying he believed someone brought the boys to US Soccer in an attempt to “take him down.”
The ‘blackmail’ led to much criticism from analysts, as Berhalter’s old contract with the national team expired in December.
However, he was reinstated as coach in June 2023, only to be fired a year later.