United States midfielder Giovanni Reyna was almost sent home from the World Cup in Qatar due to a lack of effort in training and in a pre-tournament scrimmage against Qatari side Al Gharafa SC, sources told ESPN.
Reyna, 20, did not start a single game for the US in Qatar, but did play the entire second half of their final match -- a 3-1 loss to the Netherlands in the round of 16. The sources added that Reyna apologized to the entire team for his lack of effort.
The disclosure came after US manager Gregg Berhalter spoke at the HOW Institute for Society's Summit on Moral Leadership in New York on Tuesday.