Gio Reyna during World Cup qualifying. (Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports)
So, why didn’t Gregg Berhalter put in Gio Reyna in the waning minutes of the the U.S. men’s national team’s 1-1 draw with Wales in its World Cup opener on Monday?
The USA head coach decided to use Jordan Morris as a second-half substitute instead of the talented 20-year-old forward who plays for Borussia Dortmund.
“In the phase of the game we were at, we went with Jordan who we felt could give us speed and power,” Berhalter told ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle.
Berhalter said that when the USMNT played an exhibition against Qatari club Al-Gharafa, Reyna felt some tightness. The staff chose to be cautious.
“It was trying to get him up to speed. There was some tightness we were guarding against,” the coach was quoted by ESPN.
Reyna, however, said that wasn’t necessarily the case.
Yahoo’s Henry Bushnell that Reyna told him in the mixed that he “definitely felt 100 percent going into today.”
“A little bit of tightness over the last few days,” he added, but he said he was ready to go. I was definitely excited to play.
“It’s not my decision.”
Will Reyna be ready to play against England in the second Group B game on Friday?
Stay tuned.