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Former U.S. national team soccer players have expressed their shock and sadness at the bizarre dispute involving former coach Gregg Berhalter and the parents of player Gio Reyna.
On Tuesday, Berhalter, who led the U.S. team at the recent Qatar World Cup, described how someone allegedly approached the U.S. Soccer Federation during the tournament with information about his past in an attempt to get him fired.
In a statement, Berhalter described an incident between him and his now-wife, Rosalind, that happened when he was 18. “One night, while out drinking at a local bar, Rosalind and I had a heated argument that continued outside,” he said. “It became physical and I kicked her in the legs.”
The following day, it was reported that Danielle Reyna, the mother of U.S. national team player Gio Reyna, was the person who told U.S. Soccer about the 1990s domestic-violence incident involving Berhalter. U.S. Soccer subsequently launched an investigation into the incident.
In a lengthy statement reported by The Athletic, Danielle Reyna described her anger at negative comments about Gio that Berhalter made at a leadership conference. Danielle’s husband, former U.S. national team star Claudio Reyna, also provided a statement to The Athletic, saying he supports his wife and was also upset by Berhalter’s comments about Gio.
ESPN reported that U.S. Soccer was told about the domestic-violence incident on the same day Berhalter made comments at the HOW Institute for Society’s Summit on Moral Leadership in New York, describing how a player was nearly sent home from the World Cup for not meeting expectations on and off the field.
While Berhalter did not identify the player, Gio Reyna confirmed in an Instagram post the following day that it was a reference to him.
Former U.S. national team player Herculez Gomez said he is shocked and saddened by the controversy.
Now read: U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter says he was targeted in blackmail attempt at World Cup
“This is wild and extremely sad for all parties involved,” the former L.A. Galaxy and Seattle Sounders forward tweeted Wednesday. “Domestic violence, Blackmail claims, Helicopter parents, and just sad telenovela drama between what were a group of two very close friends.”
“Moral of the story: Keep your enemies close and your best friends closer,” tweeted former U.S. national team defender Jimmy Conrad. “This is all so sad.”
The ties between the Reyna and Berhalter families are deep. Danielle Reyna was the college roommate and teammate of Rosalind Berhalter at the University of North Carolina. Gregg Berhalter and Claudio Reyna, who have known each other since childhood, are former teammates on the U.S. national soccer team. Reyna was best man at Berhalter’s wedding to Rosalind, according to the U.S. National Team Soccer Team Players Association’s website.
“We eat our own,” tweeted soccer analyst and former U.S. national team defender Alexi Lalas on Wednesday.
“Goodnight American soccer…you crazy bastard,” he added, in a subsequent tweet.
Berhalter, a former U.S. national team defender, was appointed coach in late 2018. Hired to breathe new life into the team after their failure to qualify for that year’s World Cup, he guided the U.S to the CONCACAF Nations League title in 2019-2020 and the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2021, and through a successful World Cup qualifying campaign. The U.S. soccer team was knocked out of the Qatar World Cup by the Netherlands, which won its round of 16 clash 3-1 on Dec. 3. Argentina won the World Cup on Dec. 18, defeating France on penalties after a 3-3 draw.
Also see: Messi is a World Cup champion at last as Argentina beats France on penalty kicks
Berhalter’s contract with U.S. Soccer expired on Dec. 31, 2022, according to reports.
On Wednesday U.S. Soccer announced that assistant coach Anthony Hudson will serve as head coach for the national team’s upcoming training camp in Carson, Calif.
MarketWatch has reached out to U.S. Soccer with a request for comment on this story.
In response to a Twitter user who suggested the U.S. appoint a foreign coach, soccer analyst and former national team player Taylor Twellman said that any incoming coach would be stepping into an unenviable situation at the moment.
“Why would anyone with a half a brain [sic] and conscience step into this mess right now?!” he tweeted. “If a foreign coach is interested, he/she will wait well into the cycle before accepting. The internal politics has been there since I’ve been alive……it’s not going anywhere.”
The U.S. national team takes on Serbia in Los Angeles on Jan. 25 and Colombia in Carson on Jan. 28.
