"It's a story that's so confusing and humanly heartbreaking it's hard to decipher." That's how Roger Bennett of the Men in Blazers podcast describes the Berhalter-Reyna saga — and he's not wrong. Now, in the most uncomfortable plot twist American soccer has produced in years, both families are sending sons to the same World Cup squad.
A Friday leak ahead of Mauricio Pochettino's official Tuesday announcement confirmed Gio Reyna, 23, and Sebastian Berhalter, 25, have both secured spots in the USMNT's 26-man roster for 2026. Pochettino will unveil the full squad at Pier 17 in Manhattan at 3 p.m. this Tuesday.
How a 30-year friendship became a federal-level scandal
The backstory requires some unwinding. Gio's father Claudio Reyna and Sebastian's father Gregg Berhalter were teenage teammates at Saint Benedict's Prep in Newark, stayed close through rival college programs, and became central figures for the USMNT into the early 2000s. Their wives — Danielle Reyna and Rosalind Berhalter — were college roommates at UNC. Claudio reportedly served as best man at the Berhalters' wedding.
That all collapsed at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, where Gregg was head coach and Gio, then 20, was supposed to be a breakthrough star. Instead, Gio logged 52 minutes across four matches. Then Gregg, speaking at a leadership summit in New York, described an unnamed player who had nearly been sent home for poor attitude and effort. Nobody needed to ask who he meant.
Gio confirmed on Instagram he'd struggled with his reduced role, admitted his training had suffered for "a few days," but took direct aim at Gregg for going public at all. The Reynas escalated fast. Claudio contacted US Soccer officials. Danielle went further — she reported a 1991 incident in which a teenage Gregg had kicked Rosalind during an argument at UNC.
Gregg admitted to the incident in a January 2023 Twitter statement, calling it "shameful" and saying he'd sought counseling immediately afterward. He also implied he'd been blackmailed before it went public. A US Soccer investigation ultimately cleared him to keep coaching and found the Reynas' actions didn't meet the threshold for blackmail or extortion.
Berhalter was fired anyway in 2024 — not over the scandal, but over the USMNT's poor on-field results. He now manages Chicago Fire. The Reynas and Berhalters remain estranged.
What each player actually brings to Pochettino's squad
Strip away the family drama and you've got two genuinely interesting football cases.
Gio, playing for Borussia Mönchengladbach in the Bundesliga, has 36 caps and nine international goals. Bennett describes his style as "poetic" — a natural playmaker with the kind of touch that makes the game look effortless when he's right. The problem is that he's been injury-prone and inconsistent enough that you can never quite back him with confidence. His World Cup odds-based value has always lived in the gap between his ceiling and his floor.
Sebastian is almost the opposite profile. Just 11 caps, one international goal, and this will be his first World Cup. But he's been a model of availability and reliability for Vancouver Whitecaps, he's a Pochettino favorite, and he's technically gifted from set pieces. Analyst Paul Tenorio, author of the upcoming book The Messi Effect, calls him "a glue-type player" — the kind Pochettino tends to build systems around.
- Gio Reyna: 36 caps, 9 goals, Borussia Mönchengladbach — high ceiling, high injury risk
- Sebastian Berhalter: 11 caps, 1 goal, Vancouver Whitecaps — consistent, set-piece threat, World Cup debut
Tenorio notes that the original controversy — Gregg limiting Gio's minutes in Qatar — was "completely justified." Tim Weah, given that starting spot instead, scored in the opener and became one of the team's most reliable performers across the tournament.
"Football is about second acts and redemption," Bennett says. Maybe. But the Reynas and Berhalters aren't speaking. Their sons will be sharing a locker room at a home World Cup. That's not a redemption arc — that's just football being football.
