Gregg Berhalter and Gio Reyna Unite for USMNT World Cup Push After Bitter Fallout

Deep inside SoFi Stadium, in a temporary media room tucked beneath the stands, Sebastian Berhalter was addressing a cluster of microphones and cameras when Gio Reyna stepped into his own spotlight just a few yards away.

The interviews came shortly after the United States opened its World Cup campaign with a 4-1 victory over Paraguay. Berhalter and Reyna had both entered the match as substitutes, and afterward, both found themselves reflecting on family — on fathers, sons and the next generation.

Sebastian’s father, Gregg Berhalter, led the USMNT at the 2022 World Cup, and now his son was describing what it meant to make his debut on soccer’s grandest stage with his dad watching from the stands. Reyna, meanwhile, had just produced his first World Cup goal, a brilliant outside-of-the-boot finish, before revealing that he and his wife, Chloe, are expecting their first child.

It was a moment that captured just how dramatically the story had shifted — for the two players, for American soccer, and after a painful detour, toward something more hopeful.

Sebastian and Gio were once inseparable, best friends who talked every day. Their fathers, Gregg and Claudio Reyna, grew up in the game together before sharing the field for the United States at the 2002 and 2006 World Cups. Their mothers, Danielle Reyna and Rosalind Berhalter, were roommates, teammates and “best friends” at the University of North Carolina. The two families were so intertwined they were often described as “practically family.”

But in 2022, that closeness gave way to one of the most painful episodes in recent US soccer history. A World Cup dispute, allegations involving domestic violence and the breakdown of decades-long relationships all became part of a wider controversy. The fallout prompted an independent investigation, whose conclusions were detailed across 36 pages.

This summer, however, Sebastian and Gio are teammates and, should head coach Mauricio Pochettino shuffle his pack against Turkey this week, there is a good chance they will start alongside each other in the US midfield.

It is testament to both players and the togetherness forged under Pochettino at this World Cup. When Reyna scored against Paraguay, Berhalter was among the first to grab him in celebration.

‘For me, we’re two players on the same team trying to do the best we can for our country,’ the 25-year-old told the Daily Mail afterwards. ‘There’s nothing more than that. To be honest, there’s not much between me and him.

‘We are here to make this team better and to win games. I think we’ve been clear on that since day one. He’s my teammate and we’re going to war together.’

That win over Paraguay came seven months after Reyna and Berhalter were first named in a USMNT squad together. They both started the team’s World Cup warm-up against Senegal. Did they ever have to address all that had gone before?

‘No, I think we knew,’ Berhalter said. ‘I think when we both came into camp the first time, we knew where we were at. We knew that we’re teammates, and we’re going to do anything we can for our country. It’s way bigger than anything we have going on. So for us it was pretty easy.’

Four years ago, however, the relationship between their families became anything but simple. Sebastian was at the 2022 World Cup as a fan – to cheer on the USMNT and to support his father. Gio Reyna, then just 20, was named in Gregg Berhalter’s squad before almost being sent home from Qatar.

After the USA’s round-of-16 exit against the Netherlands. Gio has admitted that, frustrated by a lack of playing time, he ‘let my emotions get the best of me.’ Gregg Berhalter gave his version of events at a leadership summit.

‘[We] had a player that was clearly not meeting expectations on and off the field,’ he said. ‘As a staff, we sat together for hours deliberating what we were going to do with this player. We were ready to book a plane ticket home, that’s how extreme it was.’

The affair became very messy, very quickly. Gio’s parents told US soccer chiefs that, in 1991, Gregg Berhalter – while a college freshman – had assaulted his now-wife, Rosalind. Claudio Reyna had been best man at their wedding.

Gregg, who initially claimed he was being blackmailed, addressed the incident, admitting that a ‘heated argument… became physical and I kicked her in the legs.’ He later said his ‘entire family’ was ‘saddened’ by the unfolding scandal. The US Soccer Federation hired a law firm to conduct an investigation.

According to Gregg Berhalter’s testimony, Rosalind had spoken to Danielle Reyna ‘every day for decades.’ But their friendship ‘ended immediately’ at the 2022 World Cup.

As for his job? Gregg’s contract as USMNT head coach expired after the World Cup. Six months later, however, he was rehired. The 52-year-old then reportedly spoke to mediation experts before re-connecting with Gio Reyna for the first time in nearly a year.

By October 2023, less than a year after the World Cup, the midfielder was back in camp with the USMNT. By March 2024, Gio insisted the feud was ‘not even an issue at all anymore.’ Then in November 2025, Pochettino named both players in a squad for the first time. The manager was aware of the saga but insisted ‘it’s not important.’

Now the Berhalters and Reynas are back together at another World Cup, where families have been a crucial part of the US’ early success.

The loved ones of many players are staying near the team hotel and Pochettino has already giving his team several days off to unwind along with their friends and family. That could have led to awkward reunions and the re-opening of old wounds.

Instead? Sebastian and Gio could line up alongside one another at SoFi Stadium on Thursday night. Against Paraguay, the Berhalters became only the second father-son duo to represent the US at a World Cup. Before them came the Reynas.

‘Obviously, a lot has changed [since 2022] – I’m married now, I have a dog,’ Gio said ahead of this tournament. ‘I [have] matured and grown up in many aspects of my life… everyone is so far removed from [the feud].’

He added: ‘It’s hard for me to even think about that because I never really do and I’m just at the moment obviously just thinking about this World Cup and what I can do to help the team.’