'There is work to be done' - USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter still yet to speak to Gio Reyna after World Cup row

• Pair clashed in Qatar

• Reyna almost sent home
• They are yet to speak

WHAT HAPPENED? Berhalter, who returned to his post as USMNT head coach in June after six months away from the team following the expiration of his contract, admits that he and Reyna have yet to discuss what happened in Qatar, when the manager admitted that he almost sent one player home from the camp. That member of the squad was quickly deduced to be Reyna, and a scandal followed.

The player's parents shared allegations of a historic domestic violence incident in Berhalter's past, but an independent investigation found that the manager was forthcoming about the details, which made him eligible to take up a second spell with the USMNT.

However, Berhalter has now admitted that he has yet to hold any discussions with Reyna.

WHAT THEY SAID: Speaking to Vanity Fair, Berhalter said: “It’s not something where you just pick up the phone and say, ‘Hey bud, here’s how it’s going to be. There is work to be done.”

He added: “We both want the U.S. to win the World Cup and be very successful and now it’s figuring out a way to cooperate to do that. Some of it will involve him, some of it will involve us, and eventually, hopefully, it leads towards Gio being comfortable in the team, comfortable that he’s being evaluated fairly and coached fairly and held to the same norms and standards as everybody else.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Reyna has been dealing with a calf injury and has yet to play for Borussia Dortmund this season. It remains to be seen if he will be fit enough to feature when his country play Uzbekistan and Oman in September.

IN THREE PHOTOS:

Getty Images

Getty Images

Getty

WHAT NEXT? Reyna will hope to return to fitness quickly as he bids to aid Dortmund and the USMNT this season.