Danielle Reyna and Claudio Reyna, the parents of 19-year-old United States men's national team player Giovanni Reyna, contacted the U.S. Soccer Federation to reveal information about head coach Gregg Berhalter involving a past domestic violence incident with his now-wife Rosiland Berhalter in 1991, according to ESPN.
Danielle, who played soccer at the University of North Carolina with Rosiland, along with Claudio, contacted the Athletic to tell their side of the story. The two said that they contacted U.S. Soccer sporting director Earnie Stewart to voice their displeasure over the decision to give Gio Reyna a limited role during and after the the World Cup in Qatar where the USMNT were eliminated in the round of 16 by the Netherlands. Gio, who plays his club ball at Borussia Dortmund, logged only 52 minutes in two substitute appearances in the World Cup.
Danielle said that her son "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."
"Without going into detail, the statements from yesterday significantly minimize the abuse on the night in question. Rosalind Berhalter was my roommate, teammate and best friend, and I supported her through the trauma that followed," Danielle said. "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 current situation is so very hurtful and hard."
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Claudio is the current sporting director at Austin FC and grew up playing in various youth levels with Gregg Berhalter. He claims no threats were made to Berhalter with the information they shared to the federation.
"While in Qatar, I shared my frustrations about my son's World Cup experience with a number of close friends, Earnie and Brian McBride among them," Claudio said. "However, at no time did I ever threaten anyone, nor would I ever do so."
Berhalter, who saw his USMNT contract expire at the end of 2022, shared the details of the incident with his wife on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the USMNT announced that Anthony Hudson would be leading the team in January friendlies against Serbia and Colombia.
"During the World Cup, an individual contacted U.S. Soccer saying they had information about me that would take me down," Berhalter said in a statement. The USSF is now conducting an investigation into "potential inappropriate behavior towards multiple members of our staff by individuals outside of our organization."
"In the fall of 1991, I met my soulmate. I had just turned 18 and was a freshman in college when I met Rosalind for the first time. There was a familiar feeling when we spoke," Berhalter said in a statement released on Twitter. "Rosalind was and is an amazing person -- determined, empathetic, fun to be around -- and we connected immediately. It felt like we had known each other for years. We had been dating for four months when an incident happened between us that would shape the future of our relationship. One night, while drinking at a local bar, Rosalind and I had a heated argument that continued outside. It became physical and I kicked her in the legs."
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This incident is currently under investigation by the federation, which shared details in a statement on Tuesday:
"Upon learning of the allegation against U.S. Men's National Team head coach Gregg Berhalter on Dec. 11, 2022, U.S. Soccer immediately hired Alston & Bird LLP to conduct an independent investigation into the matter. The investigation is being led by Jenny Kramer, BJay Pak and Chris Marquardt of Alston & Bird LLP and remains ongoing.
"Through this process, U.S. Soccer has learned about potential inappropriate behavior towards multiple members of our staff by individuals outside of our organization. We take such behavior seriously and have expanded our investigation to include those allegations.
"We appreciate Gregg and Rosalind coming forward to speak openly about this incident. Consistent with our commitment to transparency, we will share the results of the investigation publicly when it is complete. U.S. Soccer condemns violence of any kind and takes such allegations very seriously.
U.S. Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone, CEO and secretary general JT Batson and sporting director Earnie Stewart will speak with address the issue with media members in a video conference Wednesday afternoon.
