On January 3, reports emerged about alleged threats that Gregg Berhalter received during the World Cup. Berhalter made the claims public as a result of an incident that occurred 31 years ago between Berhalter and his now-wife Rosalind.
Berhalter alleged that someone had threatened to “take him down” in an effort to end his tenure as USMNT head coach.
However, on Wednesday, ESPN and The Athletic reported that Claudio Reyna and his wife, Danielle, were the ones on a call with US Soccer to report the domestic violence incident that occurred between Berhalter and his wife.
Gio Reyna’s mother, Danielle Reyna, claims she threatened to release the information because she was frustrated with comments Berhalter made about her son, Gio Reyna, after the World Cup. Speaking at a conference, Berhalter was critical of Gio Reyna and the uproar he caused in the World Cup camp. In the World Cup, Reyna played minimal minutes despite having great talent. At first, it was injury concerns. Later, it was learned that it was due to a lack of effort and for not meeting expectations.
However, before the tournament, Berhalter told Gio Reyna that he would have limited minutes. This frustrated the striker, who echoed his concerns to his parents. His father, former USMNT captain Claudio Reyna, later disclosed past allegations against Gregg Berhalter to US Soccer.
Claudio Reyna informs US Soccer of the accusations of Gregg Berhalter
Those with knowledge of the situation told ESPN that Claudio and Danielle Reyna spoke with a US Soccer official about Berhalter having had a domestic violence incident in the past.
Now, in a statement issued Wednesday, Danielle Reyna defended her actions.
“I thought it was especially unfair that Gio, who had apologized for acting immature about his playing time, was still being dragged through the mud when Gregg had asked for and received forgiveness for doing something much worse at the same age.”
Danielle Reyna added that she never used the information to threaten anyone. However, Danielle Reyna and Rosalind Berhalter were college roommates at the time of the domestic violence incident between Gregg and Rosalind. Danielle Reyna added that she thought she downplayed the issue at hand.
“It took me a long time to forgive and accept Gregg afterwards, but I worked hard to grace him and ultimately made them and their children a big part of my family’s life,” said Danielle Reyna. “I would have wanted and expected him to give the same grace to Gio. That is why the current situation is so painful and harsh.”
Berhalter’s contract with US Soccer is up, for now
This development is not only a bad image for everyone involved, but it comes at a peculiar time for US Soccer. With Berhalter’s contract recently expired, US Soccer has opened an investigation into the coach.
For the time being, the federation named Anthony Hudson interim head coach for the January camp.
US Soccer cannot make any further decisions on Berhalter’s future until its investigation is complete. However, this revelation about Claudio and Danielle Reyna certainly adds controversy to the situation.
PHOTO: IMAGO / Allstar
