Giovanni Reyna did not get much playing time in the US team at the World Cup in Qatar. Internally, the BVB youngster is said to have taken offence. Now he is reacting.

The Dortmund Bundesliga professional Giovanni Reyna was allegedly on the verge of being kicked out of the US national team at the World Cup. Head coach Gregg Berhalter confirmed that he had almost sent a player home, but he did not give the name. Several US media reported that it was the 20-year-old BVB player. Reyna played only a supplementary role in the US team at the World Cup, which was eliminated in the round of 16 against the Netherlands. Now the offensive player reacted to the accusations – and gave coach Berhalter a side blow.

“In this last World Cup, we had a player who clearly did not live up to expectations on and off the pitch. As a staff, we sat together for hours and thought about what we would do with this player. We were ready to book a plane ticket home, that’s how extreme it was,” Berhalter said at a leadership briefing at charterworks.com.

The Dortmund attacking player, who played a total of just 52 minutes on the pitch in Qatar, responded to the allegations and media reports from the US on Tuesday evening (German time). Reyna admitted on Instagram that he was “devastated” when Berhalter told him before the tournament that he would only play a subordinate role.

That also had an impact on his performance in training, the BVB pro said. “I apologised for it to my teammates and my coach, and I was told that I was forgiven,” said the 20-year-old. Reyna expressed irritation that Berhalter had now brought the incident back to the public, saying he had assured him that it would remain internal. “I hope that from now on every person in the federation will focus on what is best for the national team,” Reyna wrote – a clear dig at Berhalter.