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Reyna not in Berhalter's 1st USMNT squad since return as head coach

DeFodi Images / Getty

United States forward Gio Reyna was the notable omission as Gregg Berhalter named his first squad since being reappointed as US coach on Wednesday.

Borussia Dortmund forward Reyna has not played since injuring his calf during the CONCACAF Nations League in June but is reportedly back in training with the Bundesliga giants.

Reyna and Berhalter were embroiled in an acrimonious bust-up during last year's World Cup in Qatar that led to Berhalter's future as US national team coach being thrown into doubt.

Berhalter, who led the team to the last 16 in Qatar, did not have his contract extended amid a bitter public row with Reyna and his parents.

Part of the feud included the revealing by Reyna's mother of a physical altercation in 1991 between Berhalter and his then girlfriend, now wife, which prompted a US Soccer investigation.

The probe subsequently found there were no grounds not to reappoint Berhalter, and the coach was re-hired in June.

Berhalter said following his return there was "work to do" in rebuilding his relationship with Reyna, describing him as "an important player to this team."

However Berhalter told Vanity Fair magazine in an interview published on the eve of Wednesday's squad announcement that he had still not spoken to Reyna since their World Cup bust-up.

"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," Berhalter said in the interview.

"We both want the US to win the World Cup and be very successful and now it's figuring out a way to cooperate to do that," he added.

Berhalter's squad named on Wednesday face friendlies against Uzbekistan in St. Louis on September 9 before taking on Oman in St. Paul three days later.

U.S. squad

Goalkeepers: Drake Callender (Inter Miami), Ethan Horvath (Nottingham Forest/ENG), Matt Turner (Nottingham Forest/ENG)

Defenders: Sergino Dest (PSV Eindhoven/NED), Kristoffer Lund (Palermo/ITA), Mark McKenzie (Genk/BEL), Kevin Paredes (Wolfsburg/GER), Tim Ream (Fulham/ENG), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace/ENG), Antonee Robinson (Fulham/ENG), Miles Robinson (Atlanta United), Joe Scally (Borussia Moenchengladbach/GER)

Midfielders: Johnny Cardoso (Internacional/BRA), Ben Cremaschi (Inter Miami), Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo/ESP), Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA), Yunus Musah (AC Milan/ITA), Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven/NED)

Forwards: Brenden Aaronson (Union Berlin/GER), Folarin Balogun (AS Monaco/FRA), Cade Cowell (San Jose Earthquakes), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven/NED), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan/ITA), Tim Weah (Juventus/ITA)

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