Ream says Reyna row ‘in past’ as US squad gathers

United States defender Tim Ream said Tuesday Gio Reyna has been welcomed back into the fold by team-mates despite the acrimonious feud that erupted following the World Cup. The US squad are training in Florida this week ahead of the team’s CONCACAF Nations League game in Grenada on Friday, the squad’s first competitive fixture since they exited in the last 16 in Qatar.

The months since the World Cup have been dogged by a welter of revelations detailing tensions between Reyna and his family and former coach Gregg Berhalter. Berhalter’s contract expired after the World Cup, and US Soccer say a decision on whether he will be re-hired or replaced will not be made until later this year.

Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, Ream said Borussia Dortmund star Reyna had impressed US team-mates with his work ethic in training in Florida and that the squad was keeen to leave the controversy behind. “The main thing is making sure that everyone 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,” Ream said. “We moved on from that as players,” the Fulham center-half added.

Berhalter stoked controversy after the World Cup by indirectly revealing that Reyna had almost been sent home from the tournament due to his attitude in training. Reyna later hit back, saying the behind the scenes bust-up should have remained private while acknowledging he reacted poorly after being told by Berhalter he would only have a “limited role” in Qatar before the tournament.