Gregg Berhalter said wants to stay on as head coach of the United States men’s football team despite an investigation into a domestic violence incident that occurred between him and his wife Rosalind over 30 years ago.
Berhalter’s remarks come one day after it was reported that Danielle Reyna, the mother of US midfielder Gio Reyna, had informed the federation of the 1991 episode after she became frustrated with Berhalter criticising her son after the World Cup.
“When we started in 2018, we wanted to change the way the world views American soccer,” Berhalter, whose contract with the team expired at the end of last month, said in an interview with the Harvard Business Review.
“And I think when you ask around the world now about our team, the world sees us in a completely different light. But now it’s about being able to take that next step, and that next step is doing something that no US [men’s] team has ever done and that’s get to the semi-finals [of a World Cup] and see what happens from there.
“So there’s a lot of great challenges involved and of course I’d like to continue my role.”
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Berhalter said that he and his wife had moved on from the incident — which took place before they were married — in which he kicked her legs amid an argument outside a bar when he was an 18-year-old college student, and that he was sad for it to have it come up so publicly now.
“The events of that night 31 years ago and the lessons learnt from that set the foundation for our relationship moving forward,” he said. “And it’s a loving relationship, a devoted relationship and we have four amazing kids to show for it.”
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The US football federation said on Wednesday that Anthony Hudson, the assistant coach, would lead the team during its January camp while a “technical review” of the men’s national team program was conducted.
Berhalter led the squad to the round of 16 of the World Cup in Qatar, where they were knocked out by the Netherlands.
In a statement, he wrote: “During the World Cup, an individual contacted US Soccer, saying that they had information about me that would ‘take me down’ — an apparent effort to leverage something very personal from long ago to bring about the end of my relationship with US Soccer.”
After explaining what happened in 1991, Berhalter added: “There are zero excuses for my actions that night. It was a shameful moment and one that I regret to this day.” The statement, which was shared on a newly created Twitter account belonging to Berhalter, was also signed by his wife, Rosalind.
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It later emerged that the person who told officials about the incident was Danielle Reyna, whose son Gio Reyna — the 20-year-old Borussia Dortmund midfielder — played only 53 minutes at the World Cup. Her husband is the former Manchester City player Claudio Reyna.
The two couples have been close friends for many years — Claudio was Gregg’s best man at the Berhalters’ wedding and they played together in the US national team.
In a statement issued through her son’s agent to US media outlets, Danielle said she was upset by Berhalter’s comments about her son after the World Cup — the coach implied that Gio had been difficult to manage during the tournament. Danielle said she later contacted Earnie Stewart, the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) sporting director.
“To set the record straight, I did call Earnie Stewart on December 11, just after the news broke that Gregg had made negative statements about my son Gio at a leadership conference,” her statement read.
“I told Earnie that I thought it was especially unfair that Gio, who had apologised 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.
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“Without going into detail, the statements from yesterday significantly minimise the abuse on the night in question. Rosalind Berhalter was my room-mate, team-mate 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 current situation is so very hurtful and hard.”
Later in the statement, Danielle said: “I want to be very clear that I did not ask for Gregg to be fired, I did not make any threats, and I don’t know anything about any blackmail attempts, nor have I ever had any discussions about anyone else on Gregg’s staff — I don’t know any of the other coaches.
“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.”
A USFF statement said that an independent investigation will be conducted by an external law firm — as well as a staff review of the team’s performance over the four-year cycle — and the results will be shared publicly when it is complete.
