Claudio Reyna was blackmailing US Coach Berhalter

[Ugbowo]

My only dog in this fight is that the USA have the best coach. Ill might be wrong, but I say Berhalter should not be retained. He made some critical coaching and leadership errors.

1) He told Gio he'd have a limited role. No need for this. We've all played and know this is just a bad approach, as you never know how circumstances can change in a tournament.

2) He had Gio apologize to the entire team when Gio acted like a brat during practices. Again, a seasoned leader doesn't make it a community, I dare say woke, matter. Sit his #$% in a room with assistances and maybe the captain and flesh it out...sending the player home if there is no resolution.

3) He leaked all this to the press. Look, he betrayed locker room trust. Berhalter knew what he was doing.

Now with all this latest drama, I think Berhalter has compromised himself. As have the Reynas and Gio, as what they did is classless. Gio better become a really good player or he won't get that fair shake going forward.

The only silver lining in all this: hell, Americans care about football!!!

We've arrived!!!

1 is okay. There is nothing wrong with discussing expectations with a player, but entitled players like Reyna will take it the wrong way. I remember Mourinho and the entitled Danny Rose in the Amazon documentary on Tottenham Hotspurs, such conversations are needed, else the player might be wondering why they are not playing.

I do not think 2 is a mistake. If I was on the team, I would like a public apology from a player who is not putting in the required effort. It is indeed a "community," which is why we have a team.

3 is speculation. We do not know who leaked this to the press.

Berhalter discussed Gio in anonymous context. That was at best ignorance, but most likely deliberate. Of course people will put 2+2 together and leak it.

As to coaching, I disagree totally. Again, don’t make it a communal Kumbaya affair. Be a leader and deal with entitled brats. Instead of hiding behind the collective. This episode is what’s wrong with rank and file these days.

BTW: Croatian coaches actually do this right. They send trouble makers home. Rebic was the most in form striker but was told to apologize for insulting the coach publicly. He refused and didn’t go to the WC. Modric as captain was the only player consulted.

Different coaches have different approaches. That is what you must keep in mind.

In the US sports culture, bringing it to the group was a valid approach, even if its not the only one. His rationale was that the belligerence pretty much played out in front of the entire group. He addressed it first with his coaching staff, then brought it to the entire group subsequently...

Tim Ream in a subsequent stated that the manner in which this was handled was pretty much routine in the way the players saw it in the Doha US camp.

As for GB bringing this into the leadership webinar, he was pretty naïve in expecting that it would remain confidential. You can discuss this in an abstract sense without revealing that it occurred in the WC camp.

Was very naïve of him...

Still does not justify the "Karen" mentality of Gio's mom.
This is the kind of entitlement behavior black men have suffered from for generations...

100% agree with you here.

Players are ALWAYS watching how situations get handled because they know one day it'll be their turn. So there are some things that REQUIRE a public dressing down especially is said player was acting out in front of the other players as well. GB handled this the right way in my opinion.

Completely agree he was naive to think his comments in the webinar were not going to be public. I hope he learned the hard way.

But the Reynas though.....what an entitled bunch. Arrant nonsense.

[OJI]

Add this to all your analysis.

How about if the Reyna's interpreted and/or understood Gregg Berhalter's conduct as a being that of a bully, an expert in public embarrassment, and someone who thrives on somebody's public humiliation? Situations that would ultimately lead to major conflict? As additionally demonstrated by domestic violence with his now wife. Is he a serial abuser in the making? Lurking in the shadows? Waiting for an opportunity to strike?

Do you all remember the US Gymnastics coach, and his enablers around the US Women's gymnastics team?

[packerland]

Add this to all your analysis.

How about if the Reyna's interpreted and/or understood Gregg Berhalter's conduct as a being that of a bully, an expert in public embarrassment, and someone who thrives on somebody's public humiliation? Situations that would ultimately lead to major conflict? As additionally demonstrated by domestic violence with his now wife. Is he a serial abuser in the making? Lurking in the shadows? Waiting for an opportunity to strike?

Do you all remember the US Gymnastics coach, and his enablers around the US Women's gymnastics team?

The domestic violence stuff happened while they were in college. But you are right, Gregg played a part in this mess by opening his mouth after the WC. These days unless you say “off the record” before giving an interview, just know that your response will be put out there.

[Siddonlook11]

Add this to all your analysis.

How about if the Reyna's interpreted and/or understood Gregg Berhalter's conduct as a being that of a bully, an expert in public embarrassment, and someone who thrives on somebody's public humiliation? Situations that would ultimately lead to major conflict? As additionally demonstrated by domestic violence with his now wife. Is he a serial abuser in the making? Lurking in the shadows? Waiting for an opportunity to strike?

Do you all remember the US Gymnastics coach, and his enablers around the US Women's gymnastics team?

The domestic violence stuff happened while they were in college. But you are right, Gregg played a part in this mess by opening his mouth after the WC. These days unless you say “off the record” before giving an interview, just know that your response will be put out there.

It was not in an interview - it was in a seminar symposium about the same topic managing characters and resolving issues and that's why he gave it as an example without mentioning names. It was Gio himself who went public the next day saying it was him and his parents took over from there ....

Not defending GB but two wrongs dont make anything right - that na proper double negative

[Siddonlook11]

Add this to all your analysis.

How about if the Reyna's interpreted and/or understood Gregg Berhalter's conduct as a being that of a bully, an expert in public embarrassment, and someone who thrives on somebody's public humiliation? Situations that would ultimately lead to major conflict? As additionally demonstrated by domestic violence with his now wife. Is he a serial abuser in the making? Lurking in the shadows? Waiting for an opportunity to strike?

Do you all remember the US Gymnastics coach, and his enablers around the US Women's gymnastics team?

However what you posted is a hypothesis with no evidence that it it a character trait doing something 31 years ago and taking classes apologizing and the person marrying you 6 years later and staying with you for 25 more years goes a long way.

Lets not further push the man down to support the Reyna's entitled behaviour its bet to stay with known facts which is that he kicked his now wife. If he bullied Gio let Gio come out and say that - Heck his Parents woULD have said that , its because they dont have that they went digging for 31 year old treasure abeg. This thing dey pain me no be small because I don taste sample before..

[OJI]

Add this to all your analysis.

How about if the Reyna's interpreted and/or understood Gregg Berhalter's conduct as a being that of a bully, an expert in public embarrassment, and someone who thrives on somebody's public humiliation? Situations that would ultimately lead to major conflict? As additionally demonstrated by domestic violence with his now wife. Is he a serial abuser in the making? Lurking in the shadows? Waiting for an opportunity to strike?

Do you all remember the US Gymnastics coach, and his enablers around the US Women's gymnastics team?

However what you posted is a hypothesis with no evidence that it it a character trait doing something 31 years ago and taking classes apologizing and the person marrying you 6 years later and staying with you for 25 more years goes a long way.

Lets not further push the man down to support the Reyna's entitled behaviour its bet to stay with known facts which is that he kicked his now wife. If he bullied Gio let Gio come out and say that - Heck his Parents woULD have said that , its because they dont have that they went digging for 31 year old treasure abeg. This thing dey pain me no be small because I don taste sample before..

I refuse to believe that Gregg Berhalter(GB) used at least 45 players in his 4 yr national team managerial cycle, and other previous soccer commitments, and yet singled out Reyna's situation as an example of a leadership/management challenge. He could have used an example from way past. For a neutral person, given GB's involvement with so many players, that would say a lot about Reyna, and his attitude or special vindictiveness on GB's part.

Could this be a proxy war for unsettled issues arising from U.S. soccer legend Claudio Reyna, Giovanni's father, who captained the USMNT at 2 World Cups? Who happened to be a teammate of Gregg Berhalter.

Gregg Berhalter violated an unwritten rule. As a coach, don't disparage a player. Especially a young player starting out in his career. Go review the effect of being labeled a difficult player did to Balotelli, Cantona, Adriano , etc and their career, and further opportunities.

If the Reynas felt he went that low, all bets are off in this muck racking affair. Americans don't fight fair.

Giovanni Reyna is not a once-in-a-generation player. He is no Pele. No Maradona. Gregg Berhalter could have selected any 5 players he dropped from the final list, and they would be no substantial drop in quality or US outcome in the WC.
In spite of Giovanni's fitness, GB used his discretionary powers as the coach to select Giovanni. His commitment to training should have been addressed before the final WC list was made. Any unexpected reaction then would have given him options. As in NOT selecting him. That so called absence of commitment could NOT have been missed in previous engagements or training camps before the WC.

Yet he made the team despite not being a key contributor during the WC qualifiers. GB needed to communicate to Giovanni
- to DNA level - that he did him a favor, and GB needed to make sure Giovanni understood that.

He should go learn how Jurgen Klinsman dealt with the Landon Donovan issue. Donovan that opted to excuse himself from certain WC qualifiers, and ultimately expected to make the final cut. Donovan the all American entitled brat, and face of US MNT then. Donovan that the media (read Alex Lalas mafia) would be criticizing Klinsman for NOT playing him or playing him. Second guessing his decisions. Klinsman correctly dropped him as he had options, and Donovan wasn't worth the headache.

Review how Didier Deschamps handled the Benzema situation.

In this era of American Sports' federations trying to create healthy, psychologically safe, diverse, and inclusive environments, there will be zero tolerance for GB's conduct.

Bottom line, Gregg Berhalter messed up. He had the upper hand in setting the tone and expectations, managing the outcome, controlling the narrative, and yet let a 20 year old blemish his record. His failure to anticipate certain scenarios speaks to a certain arrogance.