USMNT recalls Gio Reyna after Berhalter feud

The return of Borussia Dortmund attacker Gio Reyna under U.S. men’s national team manager Gregg Berhalter highlights the 23-player roster that will prepare for friendlies against Germany in Hartford, Connecticut, on Oct. 14, and Ghana in Nashville, Tennessee, three days later.

The camp will mark the first time that Reyna and Berhalter have worked together since a feud between the Reyna and Berhalter families burst into public view in January.

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Berhalter confirmed Thursday the first step in rebuilding the relationship took place “weeks ago,” with the two conversing over a Zoom call.

“I think it will take time,” Berhalter said on a conference call with reporters. “It is a difference between a Zoom call and being in person. But I think that both intentions are positive, and the idea is that we work together for the team to be successful, and I think we’re both prepared to do that.”

The incident first centered on Reyna’s lack of playing time at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and his subsequent poor behavior on how he was used. Berhalter disclosed at a leadership conference that he almost sent an unnamed player — later identified as Reyna — home because of a poor attitude.

In response, Reyna’s mother, Danielle, disclosed to U.S. Soccer’s then-sporting director Earnie Stewart a decades-old domestic violence incident between Berhalter and his now wife, Rosalind. U.S. Soccer initiated an investigation, which concluded that the Berhalters didn’t try to hide the incident, clearing the way for the manager to be rehired in June.

The USMNT was managed by a pair of interim managers, first Anthony Hudson and later B.J. Callaghan, through July’s Concacaf Gold Cup. A subsequent leg injury Reyna sustained at the Concacaf Nations League final in June prevented Reyna and Berhalter from working together since the latter returned to his post.

According to U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker, it was only recently that Reyna and Berhalter discussed what happened in the weeks after the World Cup, but the pair are now prepared to “move forward.”

Reyna hasn’t played for club or country since the injury, though he has been an unused substitute in recent matches for Dortmund.

“We’re going to be creative with the minutes,” Berhalter said in relation to Reyna. “We want to certainly get him on the field and work through both the Germany game, and seeing what position he plays.

“And then in the Ghana game, same thing, seeing how we can get him in different positions throughout the camp on the field.”

The rest of the roster contains plenty of familiar faces, including 15 who took part in the Concacaf Nations League final in June. The roster includes the AC Milan duo of Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah as well as Juventus pair Weston McKennie and Tim Weah.

“In line with our long-term strategic approach toward 2026, we have a great opportunity to play against two world-class opponents and continue to progress our group of players,” Berhalter said. “We are focused on selecting strong rosters and maintaining continuity as much as possible, and this is another important building block.”

Bournemouth midfielder Tyler Adams will miss the camp following a recurrence of a hamstring injury that has sidelined him since March. Internacional’s Johnny Cardoso and Celta Vigo’s Luca de la Torre will look to take Adams’ spot in midfield. Fulham defender Antonee Robinson also wasn’t called in. Kristoffer Lund of Palermo, who made his U.S. debut during the September window, will look to fill in, as will Borussia Mönchengladbach‘s Joe Scally.

“So we’re thinking about Tyler. He means a tremendous amount to this team both on and off the field. That’s the first thing,” Berhalter said.

“And the second thing, it gives us an opportunity to have a Plan B when and if Tyler isn’t available and we’ll work through this, whether that’s with Yunus and Weston planted a little deeper and then with an attacking midfielder or whether it’s with a traditional single pivot and two attacking midfielders.

“So either way it’s going to give us a lot of information, and really testing it against high-level opponents is going to be fun.”

Should Musah appear in either match during the October window, he would be just the fourth USMNT player to reach 30 caps before his 21st birthday. Only Jozy Altidore, Christian Pulisic and Landon Donovan have previously hit 30 caps before age 21.

Heidenheim’s Lennard Maloney is the lone first-time call-up. A dual national with German and U.S. citizenship, Maloney has appeared in all six Bundesliga matches for Heidenheim this season. Maloney made two appearances for the U.S. U20 national team in 2018 and has also previously played for Germany’s U18 and U19 sides.

Center-back Cameron Carter-Vickers will take part in his first camp since the 2022 World Cup.

The U.S. is 4-7-0 against Germany, though it has won two of the past three against the four-time World Cup champions, including a 2-1 win in Cologne in 2015 thanks to a late winner from Bobby Wood.

The Americans’ record against the Black Stars stands at 2-2-0, with the last meeting taking place in 2017, a 2-1 win for the U.S. thanks to goals from Kellyn Acosta and Dom Dwyer.

DETAILED ROSTER BY POSITION (club/country; caps/goals)

GOALKEEPERS (2): Ethan Horvath (Nottingham Forest/ENG; 9/0), Matt Turner (Nottingham Forest/ENG; 33/0)

DEFENDERS (8): Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic/SCO; 12/0), Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 28/2), DeJuan Jones (New England Revolution; 7/0), Kristoffer Lund (Palermo/ITA; 2/0), Tim Ream (Fulham/ENG; 52/1), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace/ENG; 12/1), Miles Robinson (Atlanta United; 26/3), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 6/0)

MIDFIELDERS (7): Johnny Cardoso (Internacional/BRA; 7/0), Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo/ESP; 17/0), Lennard Maloney (Heidenheim/GER; 0/0), Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA; 46/11), Yunus Musah (AC Milan/ITA; 29/0), Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund/GER; 20/4), Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven/NED;64/0)

FORWARDS (6): Brenden Aaronson (Union Berlin/GER; 34/8), Folarin Balogun (Monaco/FRA; 4/2), Kevin Paredes (Wolfsburg/GER; 1/0), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 18/9), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan/ITA; 62/26), Tim Weah (Juventus/ITA; 33/5)