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Gio Reyna experience 'nothing but positive' - USMNT's Tim Ream praises winger's attitude in first camp since family controversy

Tim Ream said he is impressed by Gio Reyna's return to the U.S. men's national team as the winger has stepped up after a tough winter.

Ream welcomes back Reyna
Dortmund star working hard in camp
USMNT set for Nations League games

WHAT HAPPENED? Reyna and his family have been at the center of an unprecedented controversy involving head coach Gregg Berhalter in the wake of the World Cup. That controversy stems from Reyna's role in Qaatara, with his family responding to his limited playing time by revealing a domestic violence incident from Berhalter's past.

While none of what has happened since the World Cup can be directly attributed to Reyna himself, the revelations of his family's actions also included numerous examples of his father, Claudio, allegedly attempting to use his reputation to get his son preferential treatment. Reyna is now back with the USMNT for the Nations League, and Ream, one of the team's leaders, says there is no ill-will towards their teammate.

WHAT THEY SAID: "What's happened with Gio is in the past is in the past and what happened at the World Cup happened at the World Cup," Ream began. "We moved on from that as players. I think the biggest thing for us as leaders and all the guys in camp is to see that he's working hard, training hard, that he's wanting to be here. Up to this point, it's been nothing but positive.

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"Having conversations with different guys, everybody knows what he can bring to the table. Everybody knows how talented he is. To see him coming here with that attitude and doing the work and the desire to be a part of the group and just get back on level terms with everyone without having to overly address it, it's been a big positive for all the guys to see."

AND WHAT'S MORE: Ream went on to add that he has had private conversations with Reyna recently about "what he's feeling, what he's seeing, what his worries may be."

"That will stay between him and I because I think that's important to allow him to move past everything that's happened. I think it's important for all of us to be able to move past that and work together as a team."

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Reyna and the USMNT's European-based stars are back in camp for the first time since the World Cup, offering the young Dortmund winger a chance to make his mark on the field after so much controversy off of it. Reyna has played limited minutes for Dortmund since the World Cup, primarily featuring as a super sub, but is expected to be a key figure for the USMNT in this camp and beyond.

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