Gio Reyna named to U.S. Soccer’s Nations League roster

Forward Gio Reyna, the player at the center of a three-month soap opera that has engulfed and embarrassed U.S. Soccer, was called up to the national team Wednesday for Nations League games with Grenada and El Salvador.

The roster announcement comes two days after U.S. Soccer released a report detailing the friction between World Cup coach Gregg Berhalter and the Reyna family, one that began at last fall’s tournament in Qatar and left both men’s futures with the national team in doubt.

The report cleared Berhalter of any wrongdoing, but the federation has not decided whether to offer the coach a new contract. In the meantime, Anthony Hudson, a U.S. assistant in Qatar, is managing the team. Hudson visited Reyna last month in Germany, where he plays for Borussia Dortmund, and has called him back to the national team for the first time since the World Cup.

“Clearly it became a bit more complex in the months since the World Cup, but as far as we’re concerned Gio is a part of our program,” Hudson said in a statement. “He’s a good guy and a top talent and he is evaluated like any other player. We made the roster decisions based on what gives the team the best opportunity to win these games and we brought him in because we think he can help us do that.”

Results at Grenada on March 24 and against El Salvador on March 27 in Orlando, Fla., would lift the U.S. into the Final Four of the Nations League and qualify it for this summer’s Gold Cup. The U.S. won both tournaments under Berhalter two years ago, then made the round of 16 in the World Cup.

The 24-player roster Hudson summoned for the two games includes 13 players from the World Cup team, among them forward Christian Pulisic, midfielder Weston McKennie and goalkeeper Matt Turner. Also named was Club América forward Alex Zendejas, a dual national who has decided to play for the U.S., and defender Miles Robinson and goalkeeper Zack Steffen, who both featured heavily in World Cup qualifying but weren’t on the team in Qatar.

Missing is captain Tyler Adams, who recently picked up a hamstring injury, as well as LAFC midfielder Kellyn Acosta and defender Aaron Long, who were both on the World Cup team.

The roster includes players from club teams in 10 countries and 17 players who are younger than 25. Robinson, who plays for Atlanta United, is the only MLS player on the team.

“First and foremost, our objective is to win both matches,” said Hudson, who managed the U.S. to a win over Serbia and a draw with Colombia this winter in his first matches as interim coach. “From there, we want to maintain the standards that we’ve set and continue to build on the accomplishments of the last four years. We walked away from the World Cup knowing that we are capable of more and we’re excited to continue to move this group forward.”

The roster

Goalkeepers: Ethan Horvath (Luton Town), Zack Steffen (Middlesbrough), Matt Turner (Arsenal)

Defenders: Sergiño Dest (AC Milan), Mark McKenzie (Genk), Tim Ream (Fulham), Bryan Reynolds (Westerlo), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Miles Robinson (Atlanta United), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Auston Trusty (Birmingham City)

Midfielders: Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United), Johnny Cardoso (Internacional), Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo), Weston McKennie (Leeds United), Yunus Musah (Valencia), Alan Soñora (Juárez)

Forwards: Taylor Booth (Utrecht), Daryl Dike (West Bromwich Albion), Ricardo Pepi (Groningen), Christian Pulisic (Chelsea), Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund), Tim Weah (Lille), Alex Zendejas (Club América)