Tim Ream has said he’s been impressed with Gio Reyna’s attitude and work ethic in his return to the U.S. men’s national team.
Reyna’s attitude and work ethic, you may recall, was the spark that lit what has become one of the biggest scandals in American soccer history.
After being told by Gregg Berhalter that he wouldn’t have a major role in Qatar, Reyna, by his own admission, let his “emotions get the best of me and affect my training and behavior for a few days.”
Berhalter nearly sent Reyna home before the player apologized to his teammates. And that was it. Until it wasn’t.
A few months later, the first-choice roster for the USMNT is back together ahead of CONCACAF Nations League matches against Grenada and El Salvador.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Ream said that Reyna’s attitude has been exemplary so far and the USMNT is looking to move on from the controversy.
“The biggest thing is making sure that everybody knows we’re here for a reason and what’s happened with Gio in the past is in the past and what happened at the World Cup happened at the World Cup and we moved on from that as players,” Ream said.
“I think the biggest thing for us as a leadership and all the guys in camp is to see that he’s working hard, training hard, that he’s wanting to be here and up to this point, it’s been nothing but positive,” Ream added. “Having conversations with different guys, everybody knows what he can bring to the table, everybody knows how talented he is.
“And to see him come in here with that attitude and the work rate 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 has been a big positive for all the guys to see.”
Ream said that he’d also spoken to Reyna individually.
“I’ve had individual conversations with him. Those will stay between him and I because I think that’s important, to have that kind of line of communication and trust between players, between teammates, between groups,” Ream said. “What he’s feeling, what he’s seeing, what his worries may be will stay between him and I, because I think that’s important to allow him to move past everything that’s happened.
“And I think it’s important for all of us to be able to move past that and work together as a good team.”
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