'I always thought I was better' - USMNT playmaker Gio Reyna issues savage takedown of his US Soccer legend dad Claudio

• Reyna family legacy
• Gio makes savage statement
• Claudio in hot water after Berhalter feud

WHAT HAPPENED? On the latest episode of the Men in Blazers The American Dream podcast, hosted by USMNT defender Tim Ream, Gio Reyna and USMNT teammate Joe Scally joined the veteran to discuss their young careers in the game.

Reyna made an outrageous statement, saying that during his young career, he's believed from the age of five-onward that he's been a better player than his father, U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame inductee, Claudio.

WHAT THEY SAID: "Soccer is in my family's blood, so it was always going to be soccer.
it wasn't forced in any way... to be completely honest, growing up I always thought I was better than him. Like, in a respectful way, and I even used to tell him that when I was like, five or six [years-old]. My grandpa used to tell me the same thing, but I more thought it was cool that he was known and... at the youth development academy tournaments, people would ask for pictures and I took it as a positive - like I have so much to learn from and the guys on my team obviously really respected him, and Joe [Scally] was there also."

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Gio's father Claudio is still in hot water after accusations last December of attempting to blackmail USMNT boss Gregg Berhalter, who outed his son Gio as someone he 'almost sent home' due to his work rate and effort during the Qatar World Cup.

Claudio released personal information about an altercation between Berhalter and his wife Rosalind in 1991, that saw the USMNT boss put on leave during an internal investigation until being reinstated as the permanent boss mid-summer.

Claudio Reyna's comments saw him removed from his position as technical director of MLS side Austin FC, and severely damaged the relationship between Gio and Berhalter. The duo had not spoken since the Qatar World Cup due to the incident, and with Gio suffering an injury prior to Berhalter's re-instatement, they had not worked together on the international stage, either.

This current international break will be Gio and Berhalter's first time speaking in person since the incident took place. As for Claudio, after being removed from his role with Austin FC due to the accusations of blackmail, he has yet to announce his return to the game in any level.

IN THREE PHOTOS:

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WHAT NEXT FOR GIO REYNA? The BVB attacker has traveled with the USMNT for their upcoming international friendlies against both Ghana and Germany.