The US males’s football workforce was once plunged into public turmoil Wednesday when the Reyna circle of relatives mentioned it notified the United States Soccer Federation of a decades-old incident involving Gregg Berhalter and his spouse in line with the trainer’s disparagement of younger big name Gio Reyna.
Berhalter mentioned Tuesday his 1991 habits through which he kicked the lady who would grow to be his spouse was once “shameful” and that he was once “looking forward to continuing my conversations with US Soccer about the future”.
The US Soccer Federation has commissioned an investigation by means of an outdoor regulation company, together with the group of workers assessment of the workforce’s efficiency over the four-year cycle. All of it leaves this system’s management unsure because the run-up starts to the 2026 World Cup, which the United States will co-host.
“Obviously this is a not a positive time for soccer in this country and for our men’s national team,” USSF president Cindy Parlow Cone mentioned Wednesday right through a information convention.
For the time being, Anthony Hudson, a member of Berhalter’s group of workers, will trainer the boys’s workforce forward of exhibitions in opposition to Serbia on 25 January and Colombia 3 days later.
USSF wearing director Earnie Stewart, a former teammate of Reyna’s and Berhalter’s, has been delegated by means of Parlow Cone and the USSF board to make a training advice.
“Gregg Berhalter, until the investigation and the review takes place, is still under consideration for the head coach job,” Stewart mentioned.
The controversy has grow to be a messy public dispute involving Berhalter; former US captain Claudio Reyna, who was once absolute best guy at Berhalter’s marriage ceremony; Danielle Egan Reyna, a former US ladies’s participant; Rosalind Santana Berhalter, the trainer’s spouse and Egan’s school roommate; and Gio Reyna, the 20-year-old midfielder restricted to 53 mins by means of Berhalter on the 2022 World Cup.
It follows a $24m agreement by means of the USSF final 12 months of a discrimination lawsuit filed by means of American ladies avid gamers and an impartial investigation that exposed systemic emotional abuse and sexual misconduct within the National Women’s Soccer League.
The USSF introduced Tuesday that Berhalter was once beneath investigation. The trainer, whose contract expired final month, concurrently issued a observation announcing an individual contacted the USSF “saying that they had information about me that would ‘take me down'”.
Danielle Reyna mentioned she instructed Stewart of the 1991 incident on December 11, 5 days after Berhalter made remarks on the HOW Institute for Society’s Summit on Moral Leadership that didn’t cite a participant by means of title however have been obviously complaint of Gio Reyna. Excerpts have been printed in a e-newsletter by means of Charter Works, which mentioned the remarks have been “erroneously greenlit for publication”.
“I wanted to let him know that I was absolutely outraged and devastated that Gio had been put in such a terrible position, and that I felt very personally betrayed by the actions of someone my family had considered a friend for decades,” Danielle Reyna mentioned. in a observation Wednesday. “As part of that conversation, I told Earnie that I thought it was especially unfair that Gio, who had apologized for acting immaturely about his playing time, was still being dragged through the mud when Gregg had asked for and received forgiveness for doing something so much worse at the same age.
Berhalter and his wife Rosalind had “spoken openly” about the matter, the USSF said Tuesday, and Berhalter admitted to the kick. But Danielle Reyna criticized Berhalter’s description of the 1991 events.
“The statements from yesterday significantly minimize the abuse on the night in question,” she said. “Rosalind Berhalter was my roommate, teammate and best friend, and I supported her through the trauma that followed. It took a long time for me to forgive and accept Gregg afterward, but I worked hard to give him grace, and ultimately made both of them and their kids a huge part of my family’s life.
“I would have wanted and expected him to give the same grace to Gio. This is why the present situation is so very hurtful and difficult.”
The USSF employed the regulation company Alston & Bird to research the location. New USSF CEO JT Batson mentioned the company will attempt to decide whether or not Jay Berhalter, Gregg’s brother who was once the USSF leader business officer in 2018, was once acutely aware of the incident on the time his brother was once employed.
“None of our current leadership was aware of this,” Batson mentioned of the 1991 incident. “This is something that Alston & Bird as a part of the investigation will, I’m sure, try to understand.”
The US males’s workforce was once eradicated from the 2022 World Cup with a three–1 loss to the Netherlands 3–1 within the spherical of 16. Berhalter was once many times puzzled by means of the media in regards to the loss of enjoying time for Reyna.
“I was too upset by Gregg’s comments about Gio after the US was out of the World Cup, and I also appealed to Earnie Stewart on 11 December asking him to prevent any additional comments,” Claudio Reyna mentioned in a separate observation.
Claudio Reyna made 112 appearances for the United States from 1994–2006 and captained the United States at two World Cups. Gio Reyna made his debut in 2020 and has 16 appearances.
Danielle Reyna maintained she by no means threatened to blackmail Berhalter and not requested that he be fired.
“I’m sorry that this information became public, and I regret that I played a role in something that could reopen wounds from the past,” Danielle Reyna mentioned.
Hudson, in the meantime, will trainer what is predicted to be a roster most commonly from Major League Soccer subsequent month. The 41-year-old was once employed as trainer of the United States under-20 workforce in January 2020, and a 12 months later turned into an assistant trainer to Berhalter.
“Every player that has a US passport will be eligible to play for our US national team,” Stewart mentioned. “I don’t have any problems moving forward in any kind of regards to any player when it comes to our US national team that can contribute.”
Hudson’s group of workers will come with US assistant trainer BJ Callaghan and present US under-20 trainer Mikey Varas. Luchi Gonzalez, the opposite American assistant trainer, agreed final summer season to grow to be trainer of MLS’s San Jose Earthquakes following the World Cup.
Hudson has additionally coached fifth-tier Newport in England in 2011, Bahrain’s nationwide workforce in 2013 and 2014, New Zealand’s nationwide workforce from 2014–17 and Major League Soccer’s Colorado Rapids from 2017–19.
The US males’s workforce had now not been considering public turmoil of this magnitude since 1998, when the Americans misplaced 3 directly World Cup video games and completed final within the match amid the general public disparagement of trainer Steve Sampson. Sampson mentioned in 2010 that he dropped John Harkes from the nationwide workforce roster two months ahead of the 1998 World Cup for the reason that American captain was once having an affair with a teammate’s spouse, which Harkes denied.