USMNT star Gio Reyna shuts down 2022 drama with clear mindset for 2026 World Cup

Gio Reyna is placing his focus on having the best results with the USMNT. He is not worrying about the events of 2022; instead, he’s looking forward to what’s in store for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Reyna played a pivotal role in bringing the U.S. back to the World Cup after missing out on the 2018 tournament. However, he barely played in the 2022 edition under head coach Gregg Berhalter as it resulted in controversy and drama between Reyna’s parents and Berhalter.

Fast forward to now, and Reyna finds himself back on the national team in the leadup to the 2026 tournament, one that the U.S. is hosting alongside Mexico and Canada. Playing under head coach Mauricio Pochettino, Reyna reveals the growth he made since 2022 as he wishes to move on from 2022 and have excitement for 2026.

“Obviously, a lot has changed; married now, have a dog,” he said during a roundtable with reporters on Friday, via ESPN. “I just like to say, I matured and grown up in many aspects of my life. It’s hard to pinpoint one. “And then as a player, I think I just understand the game a bit more where maybe when I was a bit young, I was just out there playing, doing what I felt. Now there’s obviously still that component to it, but there’s so much more that goes into the game tactically and what coaches and what teams need.”

“It’s obviously a little bit tiring at this point at the end,” he said. “It doesn’t really affect me anymore. I’m just, to me, it more confuses me when I get asked the question still. It’s obviously four years removed and I think everyone is so far removed from that. So yeah, 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. So yeah, like I said, it’s a little bit tiring, but in the end, I understand the business and that these questions pop up, but yeah, I’m so far past that and I’m just looking forward to this World Cup.”

Reyna’s set to make his second appearance in the World Cup, being part of the U.S. squad since 2020. He has scored nine goals in 36 caps, last scoring against Paraguay in a 2-1 victory last November.

The USMNT looks forward to its warmup matches, hosting Senegal on May 31 at 3:30 p.m. ET and Germany on June 6 at 2:30 p.m. ET. After that, their journey in the World Cup begins with a showdown against Paraguay on June 12 at 9 p.m. ET.

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