Tag: Gregg Berhalter

Is Berhalter back in the mix for the USMNT? It’s complicated

U.S. Soccer will have to navigate some real thorny issues if it brings the coach back

Last week couldn’t have gone much better for Gregg Berhalter.

The now-former-and-maybe-future U.S. men’s national team head coach got quite the one-two punch of good news: First U.S. Soccer’s independent investigation found that Berhalter and his wife Rosalind were forthcoming about the details of a 1992 domestic violence incident, and there was no reason to believe any further instances had occurred.

U.S. Soccer concluded that Berhalter “remains a candidate to serve as head coach of the men’s national team.”

But there can be a big gulf between “remains a candidate” and “actually has a shot.” That gap, though, was significantly shortened after an interview Christian Pulisic gave to ESPN.

After calling the affair involving Claudio and Danielle Reyna “childish,” Pulisic was asked if he’d be comfortable with Berhalter getting his old job back.

“Yeah, no doubt, no doubt about it,” he said. “I think the strides that we’ve taken in recent years with him in charge, have been evident. I think it’s quite clear.”

Being cleared by an investigation is one thing, but seeing your normally reticent star give such a clear and public backing will give U.S. Soccer something to chew on.

But there are still quite a few steps before Berhalter gets his old job back. First and foremost, the person who will hire the new (or old) USMNT coach isn’t even in place yet.

U.S. Soccer has said interviews for its sporting director position are underway, with the hope that Earnie Stewart’s replacement is in place before the World Cup kicks off in July.

That would put U.S. Soccer right on its previously stated timeline of hiring a new USMNT coach by summer’s end. That is roughly as far from now as the USMNT’s pre-World Cup friendlies against Japan and Saudi Arabia. In other words: a while!

And much could happen in that span of time, most plausibly Berhalter being offered a different job.

Berhalter’s resume could make him intriguing to clubs in Europe: a lengthy playing career in the Netherlands and Germany as well as experience coaching in Europe with Hammarby. He would also, of course, be an appealing candidate for an ambitious MLS club.

As Berhalter himself said: “There are options.”

Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images

Assuming Berhalter isn’t spoken for by the time U.S. Soccer actually gets around to choosing a coach, there are still potential pitfalls to a theoretical reappointment.

One: Do any core players have lingering problems with Berhalter’s now-infamous HOW Institute speech?

Pulisic seems to be fine with it but others, most notably ex-USMNT star DaMarcus Beasley, have pointed to that speech as the moment Berhalter lost the locker room.

Beasley, of course, isn’t in that locker room anymore, but he may talk to people that are. In any case, U.S. Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone said this weekend that USMNT players will be consulted on the hire. One wonders if Gio Reyna would be one of them.

The second issue is even more substantial, and will demand serious introspection from all parties. Yes, it’s about that 1992 incident.

U.S. Soccer’s independent investigation “cleared” Berhalter as much as it could have, but it’s hard to really declare victory when the underlying issue involves a confirmed case of domestic violence.

Should Berhalter emerge as a serious candidate by the summer, U.S. Soccer will have to ask itself an extremely thorny question: Does it want the leader of its national team on the biggest stage possible, a home World Cup, to have anything but a spotless record?

Yes, it was a drunken argument between teenagers, and Berhalter’s behavior since that moment appears to have been exemplary. But: it happened.

Excluding Berhalter on the basis of that moment feels unsettling, in part because it would give Claudio and Danielle Reyna what they wanted. But it would be pretty much the definition of Pyrrhic victory.

Berhalter certainly has options now. But, despite his very good week, there is a long way before coaching the USMNT again is one of them.

[lawrence-related id=15754,15635,15459]

Pulisic gives Berhalter a bear hug, slams ‘childish’ Reyna controversy

The USMNT star is clearly in his coach’s corner

Christian Pulisic has spoken out about the controversy that has embroiled the U.S. men’s national team since the World Cup, expressing his frustration with the “childish” behavior of the Reyna family.

U.S. Soccer released the results of an independent investigation this week, which detailed years of meddling by Danielle and Claudio Reyna on behalf of their son Gio. The report included details of the Reynas’ now-infamous revelation of a 1992 domestic violence incident involving Gregg Berhalter to U.S. Soccer officials.

The investigation also revealed that Berhalter, now out of contract, was forthcoming about the 1992 incident, which led U.S. Soccer to declare that he is still a candidate for another term at the helm of the USMNT.

Pulisic, often guarded with the media, showed his irritation with the entire series of events while also offering his backing to Berhalter.

“I’m not here to appoint the next manager — it’s not my job — and whoever it is I’m going to play and give it 100%,” Pulisic told ESPN in an interview.

“Everything that happened with Gregg, first of all, has been handled in an extremely childish manner. I think we’ve seen what’s been going on. I think it’s childish, it’s youth soccer, people complaining about playing time. I don’t want to go too far into that, but I think Gregg has been extremely unfortunate to get into the position he is in now.”

Pulisic was obviously referring to Danielle and Claudio Reyna when using the term “childish” but was he talking about Gio Reyna too? That isn’t as clear, but it’s worth remembering that the Dortmund star’s complaints over his reduced role at the World Cup precipitated much of the subsequent imbroglio.

The Chelsea winger nearly went as far as endorsing Berhalter for another tenure at the helm of the USMNT, saying he is hopeful the team can build off the positives from the 2022 World Cup.

“Do I feel like we should just wait and wait? I don’t think it’s necessary, because we are not in a phase like we were after not qualifying [for the 2018 World Cup] where we needed a complete rebuild,” Pulisic said.

“We don’t need a bunch of new guys coming in. We have a strong core in my opinion — people have seen that and we need to carry on with that,” he added. “It’s a tough one for me because we should continue that as soon as we can and build off this World Cup, which I think had a lot of positives in it. We want to get going with that as soon as we can.”

[lawrence-related id=15491,15459,15635]

Berhalter: U.S. Soccer report means I have options now

The ex-USMNT boss said he wouldn’t necessarily return to his old job if it were offered

Gregg Berhalter is happy with the results of U.S. Soccer’s recently concluded independent investigation, saying he now has options as he looks to continue his coaching career.

U.S. Soccer released the results of the long-awaited investigation on Monday, which concluded that Berhalter and his wife Rosalind were forthcoming about the details of a 1992 domestic violence incident, and that there was no reason to believe any further incidents had taken place.

The investigation, conducted by Alston & Bird, did not offer such a positive conclusion for Danielle and Claudio Reyna, saying the couple had meddled in U.S. Soccer affairs for years, including their decision to disclose the 1992 incident to federation leadership as retaliation for Berhalter’s treatment of their son Gio.

Berhalter said it hasn’t been easy navigating the situation, which has seen a longtime friendship between the two couples dissolve instantly.

“I would just say it’s a sad situation,” Berhalter told The Telegraph. “We are talking about people you have known for over three decades. It’s sad and it’s in some way traumatic. But it’s something you have to deal with.”

On the subject of his coaching future, the 49-year-old was much more optimistic.

Berhalter’s contract as U.S. men’s national team coach expired at the end of 2022. Anthony Hudson is currently leading the team on an interim basis with U.S. Soccer first seeking to hire a sporting director, and then lock down a USMNT coach.

Following the release of the investigation, U.S. Soccer said that Berhalter remained a candidate for the job.

But Berhalter has admitted he is looking into all of his options, even hinting he wouldn’t necessarily accept an offer to return to his old role if it were presented.

“I guess what it [the USSF report] does is it means there are options,” Berhalter said. “That I would still be in consideration — nothing is going to exclude me from being part of that process and there are other processes that are happening also.

“After the work that has been done, that is what is right. Whether it is offered or not — or I take it or not — that’s a completely different story. To not be part of the process would be difficult. Because of the achievements of the team and how much the team has grown over the last four years.”

[lawrence-related id=15459,12873,12286]

U.S. Soccer investigation exonerates Berhalter, implicates Reynas

Some ugly behavior by Claudio and Danielle Reyna is documented in the independent report

U.S. Soccer has concluded an independent investigation into the dramatic affair involving Gregg Berhalter, his wife and the couple’s former close friends Claudio and Danielle Reyna.

The investigation, conducted by Alston & Bird, has concluded that Berhalter and his wife Rosalind were forthcoming about the details of a 1992 incident of domestic violence, and that the firm had no reason to believe any further incidents had taken place between the couple.

The couple eventually reconciled, married and had four children. They are still together today.

Of Berhalter, whose contract as U.S. men’s national team head coach expired at the end of 2022, U.S. Soccer said: “Given the investigators’ conclusion that there is no legal impediment to employing him, Gregg Berhalter remains a candidate to serve as head coach of the men’s national team.”

On the other hand, the report took a much dimmer view of the Reynas, saying the couple did not cooperate with the investigation and have been actively meddling into U.S. Soccer and the U.S. men’s national team for years — mostly looking to benefit their son Gio Reyna.

The Berhalter-Reyna affair exploded into public view in January, when Danielle Reyna admitted she had leaked information about the 1992 domestic violence incident to U.S. Soccer as retaliation for Berhalter not playing her son more at the World Cup, and then revealing details of the player’s poor attitude in Qatar that nearly led to him being sent home.

Amid the extremely public and messy affair, U.S. Soccer brought in Alston & Bird to conduct an independent investigation into the domestic violence incident, as well as any possible wrongdoing by the Reynas.

The investigation noted it did not consider the Reynas’ behavior to be blackmail, nor did it violate U.S. Soccer policies.

But the results were still stunning, painting an ugly picture of one of the most prominent families in American soccer history. Here are several incidents involving the Reynas documented within the report.

U.S. Soccer’s report on the Gregg Berhalter-Gio Reyna scandal is an awful look for the Reyna family

Soccer parents don’t get much worse.

The U.S. men’s national team is still without a full-time head coach, but it has taken a step in turning the page on (potentially former) head coach Gregg Berhalter. It’s just not great news for one of the program’s brightest talents either.

Back in January, the U.S. Soccer Federation was sent into disarray by a statement from Berhalter, who claimed he was being blackmailed over an alleged domestic violence incident from 1992 that involved his now-wife Rosalind. Berhalter admitted to kicking Rosalind when the two were 18 years old, but the incident was never reported to authorities. It turned out that the Reyna family — the parents of Borussia Dortmund forward Gio Reyna — brought the accusation to the federation’s attention after they were upset by Berhalter’s comments at a leadership conference.

As a result, the USSF launched an independent investigation into both the Berhalter incident and the Reyna “blackmail.” Those findings were released on Monday, and, well, it was not a good look for the Reyna family.

Berhalter’s salary more than triple Andonovski’s, per U.S. Soccer filing

The USMNT boss was U.S. Soccer’s highest-paid employee over the period

U.S. men’s national team head coach Gregg Berhalter earned more than triple the salary of U.S. women’s national team head coach Vlatko Andonovski, per a new U.S. Soccer tax filing.

Over a one-year period from April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022, Berhalter earned $1,641,398, which included $300,000 in bonuses.

In that same period Andonovski made $446,495, including $50,000 in bonuses.

Berhalter, whose contract expired at the end of 2022, was U.S. Soccer’s highest-paid employee over the period of the tax filing. Andonovski was only seventh on that list.

U.S. Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone was not on the list at all, as the president job remains a volunteer position.

In other listed expenses, U.S. Soccer paid law firm Latham & Watkins $4.9 million over the period of the filing, with the firm leading the federation’s legal fight against the USWNT.

U.S. Soccer also paid Morgan Lewis $1.4 million, with the firm serving as lead counsel to the federation in the negotiations that ultimately led to the historic collective bargaining agreement that guaranteed equal pay for the USWNT.

U.S. Soccer said its revenue over the period was $122.3 million, with expenses at $145.1 million.

U.S. Soccer highest-paid employees (April 2021-March 2022)

  1. Gregg Berhalter, USMNT coach: $1,641,398
  2. Earnie Stewart, sporting director: $799,380
  3. Will Wilson, CEO: $642,348
  4. David Wright, chief commercial officer: $516,257
  5. Kate Markgraf, USWNT general manager: $500,000
  6. Pinky Raina, CFO and COO: $466,864
  7. Vlatko Andonovski, USWNT coach: $446,495
  8. Karen Leetzow, chief legal officer: $410,714

[lawrence-related id=14579,14159,14218]

Gio Reyna scored another winning goal for Dortmund and fans proceeded to crush Gregg Berhalter

Berhalter favored MLS players over him.

The U.S. men’s national team is over a month removed from its Round of 16 run at the World Cup, but the drama surrounding the team and program was really just beginning.

By now, you probably heard about the “blackmail” scandal involving (potentially former) USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter and Gio Reyna. The saga stemmed from Berhalter revealing he almost sent an unnamed player home due to attitude issues in Qatar after that player was told of a limited role before the tournament. That player was Reyna, and Reyna’s parents were so upset about it that they went to U.S. Soccer officials to tell them Berhalter kicked a woman — who he would later marry — in an altercation around 30 years ago. The USSF is investigating the accusations and has yet to name a new, full-time head coach even though Berhalter remains a candidate.

Reyna has since returned to Borussia Dortmund and has been forced to deal with the distractions that his parents created. But if Reyna was ever going to reinforce the argument that Berhalter doesn’t deserve to be retained, scoring a pair of game-winning goals in a few days would certainly do the trick.

After scoring a brilliant game winner against Augsburg on Sunday, Reyna gave Dortmund another win with a late goal in stoppage time on Wednesday.

This is a player who Berhalter decided would have a limited role before the World Cup even started. Not that Reyna’s talent was ever in doubt, but Berhalter’s decision looked even worse Wednesday with this latest goal.

What we know so far about the U.S. Soccer blackmail scandal involving Gregg Berhalter and the Reyna family

That escalated quickly.

Welcome to FTW Explains, a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. Are you wondering about the drama involving U.S. men’s national team head coach Gregg Berhalter and the Reyna family? We’re here to help.

The USMNT’s run at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar ended with a Round of 16 loss to the Netherlands. And one of the major talking points around the USMNT concerned Berhalter’s usage — or lack thereof — of Gio Reyna. The talented 20-year-old from Borussia Dortmund did not start a single match in Qatar and only appeared in three matches on limited minutes.

The context around that decision took a major turn on Wednesday. Let’s break down what we know so far.

USMNT-Iran press conference turns surreal as Adams, Berhalter grilled over racism, inflation and war ships

Questions about soccer were rare. Airing of grievances was the order of the day

AL-RAYYAN, Qatar – In hindsight, the tenor of things was revealed from the moment Carlos Queiroz and Karim Ansarifard received a hearty round of applause as they strode into the wood-paneled auditorium deep inside the Qatari National Convention Centre.

That was just the start of an antagonistic and deeply surreal press conference.

The room that hosted both teams’ pregame availability one day ahead of the enormous — Ansarifard politely called it “a very sensitive game” — United States vs. Iran World Cup match was almost full, with representatives of US, Iranian and overseas journalists alike. Only one of those groups was clapping for Team Melli’s manager and striker, though.

An urbane, charismatic presence, Quieroz has led the Iranian side for most of the past decade. And his back-and-forth with Iran’s press pack — most of it hailing from state-affiliated outlets — flashed the cleverness by which he has endeared himself to so many across the nation without antagonizing the complex network of political factors that affect so much of high-level sports in the Islamic Republic.

While he did not utter the words “stick to sports,” that message was crystal clear.

“If after 42 years in this game as a coach, I still believe that I could win games with those mental games, I think I did not learn anything about the game. And this is not the case,” said Queiroz when asked about allegations of gamesmanship and skulduggery by the U.S. and Jurgen Klinsmann ahead of this fixture. “Those collective set of events that are surrounding this World Cup, I hope it will be a good lesson for all of us in the future. And that in the next event, we’ll be learning that our mission here is to create entertainment. And at least during 90 minutes, make the people happy.

That was likely music to the ears of both Iranian and Qatari government officials infuriated by media coverage of the ongoing human-rights protests that have roiled the streets of Iran for months, with hundreds reportedly killed and thousands arrested in state reprisals. Or the host nation’s questionable track record with migrant labor, laws criminalizing homosexuality and widespread reports of corruption around the awarding of this tournament.

It certainly drew another loud ovation from the Iranian press, who clapped a third time when Queiroz and Ansarifard left the room, with a FIFA official not offering any of the women journalists in the room a chance to pose a question.

(AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

The reception given to USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter and captain Tyler Adams a little under an hour later was drastically different.

“Tomorrow, perhaps it’s going to be the most sensitive game of this Cup,” an Iranian journalist stated in the second question of the United States’ presser. “If we made a survey of the whole world, what percentage of the population of the world will be happy because of the win of the national team of Iran, and what percentage of the whole population of the world will be happy because of the United States soccer team wins?

Berhalter sought to defuse the ferocious tensions rumbling around this occasion, from Klinsmann’s contentious words about Team Melli, to the U.S. Soccer social-media posts that fleetingly used images of the Iranian flag sans the central emblem and other Islamic imagery in a gesture of support to the protesters in Iran.

“I know that a lot of other constituents have another feeling towards it. But for us, it’s a soccer game against a good team. And it’s not much more than that,” said Berhalter. “It’s a knockout game, both teams want to go to the next round, both teams are desperate to go to the next round. And that’s how we’re looking at this match. We’re very focused on what we could do as a team, as are they. And we think it’s going to be a good soccer game.”

The questions posed by Iranians grew more and more strident. After Adams offered a seemingly earnest declaration of support for “Iran’s people and Iran’s team,” but added that his team is “laser focused” on securing the victory that will see them through to the knockout stages, another journalist called out his mispronunciation of the country’s name (Adams said I-ran rather than eee-ron).

Then he asked the USMNT captain if he was “OK to be representing a country that has so much discrimination against Black people in its own borders?” and where “there’s so much discrimination happening against Black people in America.”

Adams was measured in his response.

“My apologies on the mispronunciation of your country,” said the 23-year-old midfielder. “That being said, there’s discrimination everywhere you go. One thing that I’ve learned, especially from living abroad in the past years, and having to fit in in different cultures and kind of assimilate into different cultures, is that in the U.S., we’re continuing to make progress every single day. Growing up for me, I grew up in a white family with obviously an African-American heritage and background as well.

“So I had a little bit of different cultures, and I was very easily able to assimilate in different cultures. So not everyone has that ease and the ability to do that. And obviously, it takes longer to understand and through education, I think it’s super important. Like you just educated me now on the pronunciation of your country. So yeah, it’s a process, I think. As long as you see progress, that’s the most important thing.”

The queries from Iranian reporters ran the gamut of their nation’s frustrations with the United States government and its foreign policy.

“Why is it that you do not ask your government to take away its military fleet from the Persian Gulf?”

“It seems the U.S. media have also started the mind games and attack like England and U.K. [media], we have never seen in sports that something like this has happened.”

“I’ve been in New York about two months ago, and there was no support to your team [due to] the high rise of inflation and economic problems. Do you think the American people support your team and you?”

“How is your reaction when I tell you U.S. passport [holders], they can be welcome to Iran anytime, and they can visit anywhere in Iran. But the same time Iranian passport, they can’t enter USA or United States lands, otherwise they have to make some problems?”

“Jurgen Klinsmann and his offense to head coach of Iran, Mr. Queiroz, he was starting psychological warfare to Iran or not?”

On and on went the fusillade of grievance, with Iranian journalists making clear that their members see great unfairness being inflicted on their team and its nation, leaving Adams and Berhalter nonplussed.

“I don’t know enough about politics. I’m a soccer coach,” Berhalter said at one point. “And I’m not well-versed on international politics.”

It was a surreal moment, and underlined — if the USMNT could possibly have any remaining doubt — just how many layers of meaning and controversy have been layered atop this zero-sum match.

“Sports is a huge opportunity to bring people together,” Adams said. “We continue to show our support and our empathy for what’s obviously happening to the Iranian team and the people. That being said, we do have a game to focus on.”

[lawrence-related id=10590,10547,10401]

Former USMNT striker Eric Wynalda alleges ‘rift’ between Gio Reyna, Gregg Berhalter

The USMNT officially has its World Cup controversy

You’re not playing at a World Cup without some controversy, so it’s time to offer congratulations to the U.S. men’s national team for officially making it as a soccer nation.

The USMNT’s issue is the status of Gio Reyna, who has surprisingly played just seven minutes out of a possible 180. Even with the quality Gregg Berhalter has at his disposal on the wings, Reyna was widely expected to have played a more important role in Qatar than he has.

Reyna’s lack of playing time has sparked some speculation on whether he has an injury or if something else is up. Former USMNT forward Eric Wynalda thinks he knows what’s going on, offering claims of “a rift” between player and coach on social media following the team’s 0-0 draw with England.

Wynalda alleged “a massive controversy within the team” in a Twitter Space hosted by the LA Times, adding that there is now “internal strife with the manager, Gregg Berhalter.”

“I don’t know how much I should comment on that,” said Wynalda, before immediately commenting on that. “I’ve been trying to console Gio’s father, Claudio (his former USMNT teammate), for the last couple of hours and days with everything going on.”

Wynalda went on to allege that Berhalter “did lie to the media” in saying that Reyna was injured. “He asked the player to go along with that story, which caused a rift between the two of them and now he’s on the bench, which is really unfortunate,” said Wynalda. “This situation should have been handled very differently.”

If true — and that “if” is massive given the off-the-cuff nature of these quotes — Wynalda’s claims would be fairly explosive stuff. Reyna is among the best USMNT players, and given that he’s only 20 years old, he figures to be a foundational part of the squad for many years to come. In particular, Wynalda’s allegation that Reyna’s teammates are also upset with Berhalter over the lineup choices would point to a real problem for Berhalter and U.S. Soccer.

There was some confused messaging on this topic coming out of the team’s draw with Wales. Berhalter cited sporting reasons to explain why he opted to bring Jordan Morris on for the final minutes rather than Reyna, but also said that Reyna had felt “tightness” in the days leading up to the game.

With Reyna’s unfortunate injury history, it wasn’t surprising to hear that he had suffered some kind of knock, but Reyna told reporters that he “felt ready to go” after acknowledging “a little bit of tightness over the last few days.”

Is there some other explanation?

Tactically, it’s not all that difficult to parse how the USMNT has ended up leaving Reyna out of the starting 11. Berhalter’s 4-3-3 formation against Wales only had two positions that Reyna truly fits into, at least as long as the game state doesn’t dictate major risk-taking in central midfield. The starters in the spots that made sense for Reyna were Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah, two of the team’s other attacking stars.

Against England, Berhalter switched to a 4-4-2, adding to the number of spots where Reyna would be at his best, but those places went to Pulisic, Weah, Weston McKennie (a player that will start in any formation), and Haji Wright. Reyna is a bigger talent than Wright, but he can’t lead the line in the same way; they’re not really in direct competition with one another.

Given how well Weah played against Wales, and McKennie’s performance against England, and the fact that Pulisic is Pulisic, it’s difficult to make a case that someone truly undeserving ended up ahead of Reyna.

There are angles you could take to circumvent this: a move to a 4-2-3-1 formation, or shifting Weah into a center forward role. All of those would be big decisions, though, just as Berhalter is making a huge choice when he leaves Reyna out.

Things are different once you turn to Berhalter’s substitutions. The USMNT made five moves against Wales. Reyna’s not a perfect fit in the midfield when the USMNT plays 4-3-3, or as a striker, but it was possible to adjust and make room for Reyna, and Berhalter didn’t do it. Even taking a generous read, that’s a curious choice from the manager.

(Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)

Fans took issue with Berhalter bringing Jordan Morris on, but the coach’s post-game analysis — that the game had become so direct that Morris’ straight-line speed and physicality were more suited to the situation — does hold some water. Still, it’s not like Reyna is slow or easily pushed around, and you can argue that Berhalter over-thought that particular choice.

Against England, there was another head-scratcher: Berhalter went 77 minutes before making any substitutions, even as the team began to show fatigue.

It’s hard to quibble with Brenden Aaronson coming on for McKennie, though that is certainly a spot that Reyna would have fit into with no issues. Reyna had to wait until the 83rd minute to take the field as a forward as Berhalter stuck with the 4-4-2 look that had flummoxed England, giving him little time to make much of an impact.

It is strange that Reyna hasn’t played more. Berhalter is facing the most bizarre World Cup ever, slammed right into the middle of the European club season, and has minutes to manage. Reyna is one of his best players, and has declared himself fit, so it stands to reason that he’d have seen more playing time.

Stream all the World Cup action with fuboTV. Try a free trial.

On the other hand, it just so happens that the USMNT is deeper on the wings than they are anywhere else. Aaronson is right up there with Reyna in terms of talent, and he’s not starting either. Coaches call this a “good problem,” but it is still a problem, because you have more players who rightly feel they’ve earned time than you have starting positions to give out. Someone’s going to be unhappy when the lineup comes out.

It could also be that fans and ex-USMNT forwards are overreacting in act two of a three-act story. Berhalter has repeatedly talked about how you have to tackle the whole group stage, and Tuesday’s match against Iran — who figure to play out of a low block — stacks up as the best game of the trio for Reyna’s clever, shifty style of play. Reyna, if he ends up playing a major role against Iran, could be Berhalter’s “Chekhov’s Gun,” particularly if the USMNT gets the win they need to advance.

If not, though, the choice to bring one of the best young players the USMNT has ever had to a World Cup, not use him very much, and struggle for goals is the kind of thing that tends to take up a lot of time when your employer brings you in for a performance evaluation.

[listicle id=10398]