Why U.S. Soccer Is in Turmoil After Gio Reyna's Mom's Berhalter Claims

The United States Men's National Team is at the center of an investigation after allegations were made against team coach Gregg Berhalter.

There had been claims that a blackmail plot against Berhalter may have been attempted, with information about an alleged domestic violence incident being used to "bring down" Berhalter.

ESPN reported that former USMNT star Claudio Reyna was behind the messages along with his wife Danielle after their son, Gio Reyna, played less than expected at the Qatar World Cup and then was exposed as being a player that Berhalter had claimed was not putting in enough effort.

Claudio, who played 112 times for the U.S. men's team between 1994 and 2006, admitted that he "sent multiple messages to U.S. Soccer executives during the World Cup," and named sporting director Earnie Stewart and USMNT general manager Brian McBride as the recipients.

In a statement, Claudio said: "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. However, at no time did I ever threaten anyone, nor would I ever do so."

Danielle added: "I have known Earnie for years and consider him to be a close friend. 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.

"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."

What has been alleged against Berhalter?

Danielle Reyna alleged that Berhalter was guilty of domestic violence over 30 years ago in an incident with his now-wife, Rosalind.

The Reynas and Berhalters have known each other since they were teens and Danielle Reyna (née Egan) and Rosalind Berhalter (née Santana) were teammates and roommates at the University of North Carolina.

Gregg and Claudio played together in high school in New Jersey and then later for the national team.

Danielle claimed that Berhalter kicked Rosalind in an incident in 1991, outside a nightclub, while they were freshmen at the University of North Carolina.

What has Berhalter admitted?

Following the allegations becoming public, Berhalter released a statement in which he admitted that he kicked Rosalind during a "heated argument."

Sharing the statement on Twitter, Berhalter wrote: "One night, while out 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."

The couple separated but after seven months they reconciled and have been in a relationship since.

Berhalter continued: "We met and discussed how we had grown and decided to rebuild our relationship. Rosalind shared that her family supported this decision and by working through what had happened, we both realized that our love, trust and respect for each other was stronger than the incident that occurred months earlier."

The couple recently celebrated their 25th anniversary and Berhalter has said that they have a "loving, devoted and supportive relationship."

What happens next for Berhalter?

Berhalter's contract with the USMNT expired at the end of 2022 and there has been no announcement as yet about whether he will be offered an extension to his time in charge of the national team.

With the Gold Cup in June, a decision would have to be made soon and it is expected that whoever gets the coaching role will be there for the 2026 World Cup, jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

U.S. Soccer released a statement about Berhalter's situation in which it revealed it hired Alston & Bird LLP to conduct an investigation into the allegations.

The organization stated that it "appreciates" Berhalter coming forward to speak about the incident and has told soccer fans that "consistent with our commitment to transparency, we will share the results of the investigation publicly when it is complete."

U.S. Soccer added that it "condemn[s] violence of any kind and takes such allegations very seriously."

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