Reyna vs Berhalter: Bitter Dispute Rocks USA Camp After World Cup Exit

• US coach Gregg Berhalter's mention of a player's commitment have sparked controversy
• Giovanni Reyna has emerged as the player in question amid reports he almost left Qatar
• Reyna has since posted a lengthy statement on Instagram explaining his side of the story

Days after their elimination from the FIFA World Cup, a bitter dispute is simmering in the United States of America camp, after Head Coach Gregg Berhalter revealed some of the behind the scene happenings in Qatar.

Berhalter named an unidentified player who 'lacked effort' and was almost sent home, while also apologising to everyone. Gio Reyna later released a statement confirming it was him and in the process, giving his side of the story.

What happened between the two?

It was lost on many fans why a huge talent like Reyna, despite his recent fitness issues, was a second-fiddle player for the USA in Qatar. The current crop of American players is talented and Reyna was expected to play a huge part in their World Cup ambitions.

Cristiano Ronaldo's transfer: Is CR7 leaving Manchester United and which clubs are likely to acquire him?

Football

However, the Borussia Dortmund winger only played a cumulative 52 minutes, as they exited in the round of 16 at the hands of a prolific Dutch side.

Speaking at HOW Insititute for Society's Summit on Moral Leadership, Berhalter disclosed that a certain player in his final squad had commitment issues:

"In this last World Cup, we had a player that was clearly not meeting expectations on and off the field. One of 26 players, so it stood out. 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," he said as quoted by CBS Sports.

The boss then revealed that the player was made to apologise in front of everyone and everything was considered forgotten. However, another source says the player narrowly survived being sent home after a team vote.

US, Iran face off in winner-takes-all World Cup showdown

Football

Reyna's side of the story

Reyna has inadvertently confirmed he is the player in question and in turn slammed Berhalter.

The 20-year-old admitted to the accusations levelled against him and said that he thought the issue was over once he apologised.

Reyna said he had hoped not to comment on matters at the Mundial, as his belief was that incidents happening in a team setting should remain private.

However, he added via social media:

"I am also a very emotional person, and I fully acknowledge that I let my emotions get the best of me, and affect my training and behaviour for a few days after learning about my limited role. I apologised to my teammates and coach for this, and I was told I was forgiven."

Reyna's post was liked by a number of his teammates.

USA's World Cup elimination

Sports Brief had earlier reported that the Netherlands are growing in confidence at the World Cup and getting better with every game.

Qatar 2022: When 'viciously angry' Portugal legend Pepe wanted to retire after crazy red card

Football

Star forward, Cody Gakpo made this comment after they put some underwhelming group-stage performances behind them to beat the USA and ease into the quarter-finals.

The Dutch secured a last-eight spot with a 3-1 victory, which was set up by a wonderful opening goal finished by Memphis Depay after 20 passes.