USMNT coach Anthony Hudson reports “positive” meeting with Gio Reyna
The interim USMNT coach disclosed that his trip to Germany to meet the Borussia Dortmund player was encouraging for both parties.
The USMNT is preparing for the 2022/23 CONCACAF Nations League with two games scheduled for this month against Grenada and El Salvador. Interim coach Anthony Hudson has a base of experienced players who took part in the recent World Cup in Qatar to call on, but he could also bring in some new faces.
One of the main talking points concerning the USMNT is Gio Reyna’s possible return. The 20-year-old forward missed most of the United States’ qualifying games for 2022 Qatar with a series of ongoing injury concerns and made just two brief appearances at the tournament. He was omitted from the squad for last month’s friendlies against Serbia and Colombia but there are signs that his return could be on the horizon.
Hudson and his coaching staff recently travelled to Germany and a several other European countries to meet with some of the players who are based at European clubs.
In an interview with The Athletic, the coach described the meeting he held with the Borussia Dortmund player as positive and necessary. Reyna was reported to have been involved in acts of indiscipline during the World Cup and there was also believed to be friction between former coach Gregg Berhalter and Reyna’s family.
Hudson assured that it was important for him and for US Soccer to have a meeting with Reyna, who is considered to be one of the team’s brightest stars player and to iron out any existing issues.
“It would be negligent of anyone who is in this role (national team coach) not to go and do that, because he is an important player (Gio Reyna) and we need to find a solution. He is a talented and important player, a young player and this issue needed to be addressed”, Hudson told The Athletic.
Reyna not guaranteed a call-up
He also assured that while the meeting had positive effects, that does not mean that Reyna is guaranteed a place in the squad for this month’s CONCACAF Nations League matches.
“We as staff made the decision to take action and there was a response from the player, a positive response. I’m not excusing anything that happened, but it was more on a human level to go and see how he was doing as a young player who has been through a lot. We talked a little about his situation at the club, we talked about what this next period will be like and that was it”, the USMNT coach explained.