1. Why would Gregg Berhalter, the manager of an international soccer squad, make comments about situations that concerned leadership functions, on multiple levels, at a symposium that was about *checks notes* leadership?
About the only guy I'd pay to hear talk about something that wasn't his job was Mike Leach (RIP).
Was Berhalter a little careless to hope nobody would scurry off and say what he said? Probably, but he operated under the rules that prohibited that. But to talk about those situations was why he was the speaker.
2. Are you saying that you wouldn't talk to your players before a game or tournament and lay out your expectations and scenarios? I've coached teenagers too, and they don't always handle the unexpected very easily. If Berhalter doesn't say anything to Reyna, does he then sit on the bench, silently stewing over his perceived dismissal? Or, as repeated here often, do you acknowledge that Reyna is behind Pulisic, Weah, and Aaronson, and let him know what to expect?
3. If Berhalter isn't going to play Reyna, why bring him? Because he is talented, because he is a potential linchpin for future squads, because there are 23 potential spots on the team, because a Tab Ramos can get elbowed in the temple or a Jozy Altidore can strain a hamstring.
To your point of incentivizing players, and having them want to be there, isn't it telling how Reyna reacted to the news? Somewhere in the area of petulant and disruptive. Given the opportunity to prove he wants to be there, to force his way onto the pitch, he had to be counseled and corrected.
4. As noted, it wasn't meant to be a public discussion. But honestly, as a professional athlete, I don't understand why you would need to "trust" your manager much beyond having the common goal of victory? It's the same confusion I feel about a NFL player needing extra motivation when going into a game (particularly a playoff atmosphere, like the World Cup is). When I coached, I made decisions based on the purpose of winning, unless it conflicted with player safety. I didn't much care what the parents wanted, or what the players thought. And you can certainly be sure that when it came time to put players in, the ones that got the first look were the ones that hustled in practice and were involved in the game even while they were on the bench.
But if nothing else, Berhalter was all but done as manager anyway. There's little personal incentive to protect players' feelings about things that are factually true.