‘Not just going to sort of sit here and take all the blame’ - Gio Reyna opens up on 2022 World Cup USMNT fallout with Gregg Berhalter and looks ahead to 2026

Reyna spoke in depth about the events that unfolded during the 2022 World Cup, acknowledging that frustration over his limited role under then-manager Gregg Berhalter ultimately sparked the tension between them.

“At the end of the day, I was just upset that, you know, I wasn’t really playing,” Reyna said to the Associated Press. “I was playing at Dortmund. I thought that I wanted to play at the World Cup, and ultimately, in the end, I didn’t do that, and that’s really what it stemmed from.”

“I guess the frustration and the disappointment was just wanting to play and help my country. It’s so far removed now and so far in the past, I don’t even really want to talk about it anymore.”

Reyna admitted he would approach things differently if given another chance, but maintained that the situation was not solely his or his family’s fault.

“Maybe in certain ways, but I’m not just going to sort of sit here and take all the blame for something that was made out to be completely my fault, which I believe it wasn’t, and also my family’s, too,” he said.

Now at Borussia Moenchengladbach, the 22-year-old is focused on rebuilding his form and proving to Mauricio Pochettino that he belongs in the 2026 World Cup squad.

“I do obviously think about [the World Cup] pretty often as it’s somewhere where I need and want to be,” Reyna said.  “But I try to focus daily here, stay present here, work here every day, and hopefully believe everything will fall into place.”

He also said Pochettino stressed the need to get consistent playing time in order to return to national team duty. 

“I think Pochettino was very clear with saying, ‘You need to play, perform and then if you do that then you have a good chance to come in again,’” Reyna revealed. “It’s all on me now.”

Despite the move to Gladbach, Reyna has had similar struggles for playing time at the German club. Die Fohlen sit dead last in the Bundesliga, and the American has played just 122 in four matches so far. 

Injuries have impacted Reyna throughout his career, and they've played a role in his limited action this season. The midfielder revealed he is trying to take a more proactive approach with his fitness. He described developing a more collaborative relationship with athletic coaches and implementing new strategies to handle the mental challenges that accompany repeated injuries.

“I’ve learned a lot about my body,” Reyna said. “The first 24 to 48 hours are always going to suck. There’s no way around that. What I’ve learned now is, after those one or two days where [there’s] obviously a lot of pain, a lot of downtime, down energy, you just have to get on with it. You have to kick on, you have to really just attack the rehab.”

The November international break will be Reyna’s final chance to earn USMNT minutes in 2025, with friendlies against Paraguay and Uruguay on the schedule.