After months of looking for something latest and fresh, the USA men’s national team sticks to the same face.
USMNT to bring back Gregg Berhalter as its manager, Athletic announced Thursday eveningand negotiations are reportedly coming to an end.
It is a staggering decision given the nature of his departure, but in some way not surprising at the same time.
The news got here during the USMNT’s 3-0 win over Mexico in the CONCACAF Nations League semi-finals under interim manager BJ Callaghan.
Berhalter, 49, led the 2019-22, leading the USMNT to Nations League titles and the 2021 Gold Cup, through the final qualifying cycle and to the Round of 16 of the 2022 World Cup.
He also owns the highest winning percentage in national history with a record of 37-11-12.
But it surely seemed likely that the US would move in a latest direction after a saga-filled few months following the team’s World Cup trip to the Netherlands in the round of 16, and after his contract expired on December 31, 2022.
![Gregg Berhalter I](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/GettyImages-1446561432.jpg?w=1024)
The controversy centered on Berhalter’s relationship with one in every of the team’s most highly regarded young stars, 20-year-old Gio Reyna, who surprisingly received minimal playing time at the World Cup despite being projected as a starter or fundamental contributor.
Speaking at the post-World Cup leaders’ conference, Berhalter referred to a player he needed to discipline and almost sent home for his behavior after being informed he wouldn’t be a starter in the opening game against Wales.
Although he didn’t mention Reyna’s name, it was easy to attach the dots.
Reyna, who recorded seven goals and two assists with German powerhouse Borussia Dortmund while playing a key role in ending second in the Bundesliga this 12 months, responded to the comments in an announcement he also posted on social media by attacking Berhalter and claiming he had apologized to the team and Berhalter told him that the incident would remain at home.
Reyna’s parents – former United States internationals Claudio and Danielle Reyna – subsequently reported to the United States Soccer Federation an incident 30 years ago wherein Berhalter kicked his wife Rosalind during an argument after they were each freshmen at the University of North Carolina.
Danielle Reyna played with Rosalind Berhalter in North Carolina while Berhalter and Claudio Reyna were teammates at the USMNT.
![Gregg Berhalter (left) chats with Gio Reyna during the World Cup.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/GettyImages-1245341543.jpg?w=1024)
Berhalter claimed that he was blackmailed over the incident because Danielle Reyna tried to fireplace him.
Danielle Reyna said she went to the federation with the information after hearing Berhalter’s comments about her son.
The US Soccer Federation conducted an investigation, and a report by a law firm found that he had not inappropriately withheld details about the 1992 incident, paving the way for Berhalter to regain his position.
![Gio Reyna](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/GettyImages-1487442933.jpg?w=1024)
But except for the Reyna fight, many felt the USMNT may be searching for a manager higher suited to its youthful squad stuffed with players mostly playing at the highest levels across Europe.
A squad that’s capable of prove its place on the world stage at the World Cup and is capable of advance to a more serious rival with an ambitious manager.
Former Leeds manager Jesse Marsch, who’s American, and former Crystal Palace manager and legendary Arsenal midfielder Patrick Vieira, who’s French, have been linked as job candidates.
As an alternative, the USMNT sticks to what’s best known and safest.
![Jesse Marsch](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/GettyImages-1463091181.jpg?w=1024)
Which means that Berhalter and Reyna simply should mend their personal animosities and determine a way forward.
Reyna was a daily starter or major contributor to Callaghan and former USMNT interim Anthony Hudson during recent friendlies and Thursday nights over Mexico, and is of paramount importance to the team’s aspirations.
It is probably not a latest path, however it is a way forward after all.