Minnesota United star Emanuel Reynoso is facing a potential trial back home in Argentina, according to a news report in his hometown of Cordoba.
Minnesota United star Emanuel Reynoso facing potential trial over 2021 incident in Argentina
Reynoso was arrested and jailed in December 2021, accused of making threats with a gun and beating a 16-year-old minor with the weapon's butt end at a private party.
January 5, 2023 at 11:53PM
Reynoso was arrested and jailed in December 2021, accused of making threats with a gun and beating a 16-year-old minor with the weapon's butt end at a private party in a home.
Thirteen months later, prosecutors concluded there was enough evidence to move to a trial. If convicted, Reynoso would face a sentence ranging from a year to five years and eight months, Spanish-language newspaper La Voz said in a report translated to English.
Reynoso's attorneys have five days to appeal the decision and one of them told La Voz they will.
A Minnesota United spokesperson said club officials are aware of the report and are looking into its validity.
Reynoso was detained for a week in December 2021 and released on bail with permission to return to Minnesota to play in Major League Soccer with the Loons.
He arrived in January for training and told Minnesota reporters through a translator before the Loons' February season opener, "If I am here it's because, thanks to God, everything was able to be resolved. My lawyer told me thank God everything is resolved. So now I'm here and I'm only thinking about playing."
Loons coach Adrian Heath said then his team went through "proper protocol" with league executives to clear Reynoso to play.
At the time, MLS said in a statement it'd permit Reynoso to participate in team activities and competitions while the league continued its review of Reynoso's alleged conduct.
"MLS will consider further action should credible information be discovered or developments in the proceedings occur," the statement said.
Reynoso started all 29 games he played in the 2022 season. Now 27, he also represented the Loons in the MLS All-Star Game at Allianz Field in August.
He signed a new three-year contract with a club's fourth-year option in September intended to keep him in Minnesota through 2026.
"When you get an opportunity to sign an MVP-type player, you want to keep them type of players around," Heath said at the time.
Minnesota started only two strikers against Seattle, leaving Sang Bin Jeong and Joseph Rosales to provide the width behind Teemu Pukki and Kelvin Yeboah.
