news Berhalter denies Gio Reyna conspiracy claims as USA-Iran match approaches | USA

Any hopes that Gregg Berhalter's United States team could stick to sports on the eve of their win-or-go-home game against Iran at the World Cup were dramatically swept aside on

Monday when the thorny geopolitical underpinnings of the match exploded to the fore during a tense half-hour news conference. But even as Berhalter parried a series of provocative

questions from Iranian media invoking US immigration policy, inflation rates and school shootings, and the 23-year-old squad captain Tyler Adams was called upon to answer for

America's centuries-old legacy of inequality and racial discrimination, both men remained laser-focused on the task at hand.The United States need a victory on Tuesday night at the

Al Thumama Stadium to reach the knockout stage and extend their first World Cup appearance after an eight-year absence. That it happens to be a rematch of one of the most

politically charged matches in World Cup history is beside the point.“I know that a lot of other constituents have another feeling towards it, but for us it's a soccer game

against a good team and it's not much more than that,” Berhalter said. “It's a knockout game. Both teams want to go to the next round, both teams are desperate to go to the

next round, and that's how we're looking at this match. We're very focused on what we could do as a team, as are they, and we think it's gonna be a good soccer game.”Berhalter

also was pressed on the biggest non-political controversy around his team: the recent claim by former US international Eric Wynalda that Gio Reyna's limited action in Qatar is due

to a “rift” with the manager.Reyna, the 20-year-old Borussia Dortmund winger and one of the US team's most promising young talents, played seven minutes against England as a

late substitute after being left out of the team entirely against Wales. Berhalter has told reporters that Reyna's abbreviated minutes are due to “tightness”, while Reyna has

claimed he is fully fit and ready to go.Those crossed signals came under a harsh glare on Friday when Wynalda, who played for the national team from 1990 through 2000 and retired

as the program's all-time leading goalscorer, said Berhalter is not telling the truth and the situation is causing “internal strife” within the team. He also stated that he had

spoken with Gio's father Claudio, the former US captain and Berhalter's childhood friend and ex-teammate.On Monday, Berhalter denied Wynalda's claim of a conspiracy, saying:

“That's just not who I am.”“Speaking of the four-year journey, there's also been four years of interacting with you guys [the US media], and what I'd say is: I'll leave it to