Gregg Berhalter fired back at Gio Reyna's critics, saying that the midfielder remains key to the U.S. men's national team despite his club issues.
Reyna was the star of the show in Thursday's CONCACAF Nations League semifinal, providing two vital assists to help the U.S. seal a 3-1 win in extra-time. A lifeless 90-minute performance was saved by a late Jamaica own-goal and, from there, Reyna and Haji Wright combined for the two extra-time goals.
With the pair of assists, Reyna follows up a standout performance from last year's final, where he assisted two goals in the USMNT's win over Canada.
Reyna's huge performance comes despite his struggles at the club level. The midfielder has hardly played since joining Nottingham Forest during the January transfer window, but his lack of minutes didn't deter him as he returned to the USMNT.
Berhalter, meanwhile, took aim at Reyna's critics, saying that no one should doubt his quality despite his issues on the club level.
I think I heard somewhere or read somewhere, 'Why did Gio get called in the camp?'", Berhalter said. "Well, I think he showed why he got called in again. Amazing quality, amazing talent, and, for us, it's about supporting him through the difficult times of adapting to the Premier League. His quality is unquestionable. When you see the plays he made on both the second goal and, I think most importantly, the ball he wins and then makes the pass, he has that quality that not many players have and it's clear that he deserves to play on this team."
Reyna is on something of a minutes restriction heading into Sunday's CONCACAF Nations League final, but Berhalter says the hope is that he can contribute again in the finale.
"We're were at 75, plus injury time, so it was probably at 80 minutes with the five minutes," Berhalter said. "We're going to have to check. I hope he can play, but we'll have to check."
The USMNT will play the winner of Panama vs Mexico in the title match.
Reporting By: Ajayi Oluwaseun Michael.
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