The first FIFA international window since the Qatar World Cup represents a time for new beginnings, restarts and clean slates.
So the U.S. men’s national team that will convene next week in Orlando to prepare for a pair of Concacaf Nations League games includes goalkeeper Zack Steffen and striker Ricardo Pepi, who were surprising cuts from the World Cup squad. It also features center back Miles Robinson, a rising star who missed Qatar with an Achilles injury. Dual national Alex Zendejas, an attacker at Mexican power Club América, is in after committing his future to the U.S. this week. And most notably, Borussia Dortmund’s Gio Reyna has been included just a couple days after U.S. Soccer released the results of the independent investigation into his parents’ accusations against former manager Gregg Berhalter, along with the feud between the long-time friends that erupted during the World Cup.
The conflict was sparked by Gio Reyna’s behavior during the build-up to the opener against Wales, which he was told he’d begin on the U.S. bench. Although Berhalter and his staff, including current interim manager Anthony Hudson, considered sending Reyna home, the 20-year-old eventually apologized to the team and reversed course in time to play a significant amount of the round-of-16 loss to the Netherlands.
