Missing those 3 games weren't that big of a deal. Now if he said he would not play against Mexico in a qualifier game. Then yeah he has no need to be on the team, but Panama and Costa Rica are weak teams and he needs to stay healthy to be useful. The England game was just a friendly.
I like Arena's stance - answer now or be left out. While Claudio is a nice calming presence in the middle, the US has done better without him of lately. He will be missed if he decides not come back. Thanks for the memories Claudio, but it would be a mistake not to come back.
Just a shot across the bow to effectively say, "Come when I ask, or don't expect to start all the big games you really want to play." I don't have a big problem with Claudio not wanting to play the last three games, though the second-hardest home qualifier and a road qualifier in a place we only just pulled out a tie last time were important games. If he's got his eyes on peaking next spring and summer, it might have been a really smart move to get an actual offseason this summer. Hopefully, we can clinch qualification, allowing Claudio to stay in England for the whole fall, instead of flying back and forth a lot.
The quote that jumped out at me, as well. Kind of negates the rest of the statment. This stance may be a shot across the bow of others who might want to make the same call, so you say it to Reyna to make the point that everybody is subject to the same rules. This isn't u-8s, where it's not fair to come in at the last moment and start. until we get someone who can perform his role better than he can, he's got a spot waiting for him.
The vastly-experienced midfielder already has 106 international caps and played in both the 1998 and 2002 World Cup campaigns, but could now miss out on next summer’s World Cup in Germany. “Claudio Reyna’s status is up in the air,” admitted US coach Bruce Arena. “As we move forward, I will need to have an understanding of his desire and availability to play for the US team. “If he wishes to continue his international career and commits himself accordingly, he will be evaluated like any other player.”
It's going to continue to get harder for Reyna to make the team as the depth of the player pool keeps getting deeper. He may be one of the best American players ever but he's past his prime, and I'm not to worried about not having him. He also has a career to think about, he was injured last year, is getting old and may want to start focusing on making the most out of the rest of his days in the EPL and putting away some savings for retirement.