US Soccer kicks off 2026 World Cup journey amid in-fighting, uncertainty

LOS ANGELES: The US men’s soccer team sets out on a three-year journey to the 2026 World Cup on Wednesday against a backdrop of bitter infighting and uncertainty over the squad’s head coach.

Seven weeks ago, US Soccer was basking in the glow of what was broadly regarded as a successful World Cup campaign following the team’s last-16 exit against the Netherlands in Qatar.

Yet the feel-good factor from Doha evaporated, as an acrimonious feud between coach Gregg Berhalter and talented midfielder Gio Reyna exploded into public view.

Berhalter barely used Borussia Dortmund star Reyna in Qatar, suggesting at the time there were concerns over the 20-year-old’s fitness.

It later emerged that Reyna had almost been sent home after a lackluster approach to training.

Berhalter effectively confirmed the reports in a lecture given at a conference on “moral leadership” in New York after the tournament where he referred to an individual — clearly Reyna — who was “not meeting expectations on and off the field.”

“We were ready to book a plane ticket home,” Berhalter told the conference.

Reyna unsurprisingly took umbrage at Berhalter’s public comments, saying he believed the matter would remain “in-house.”

The forward explained he had “let my emotions get the best of me” after allegedly being told by Berhalter before the tournament he would only have a “limited role” in Qatar.

But the controversy took a dark turn in early January after US Soccer announced it had launched an investigation into allegations of decades-old domestic violence by Berhalter.

Berhalter, whose contract expired after the World Cup but who had been considered likely to continue in the job, later admitted in a statement on Twitter to kicking the woman who he