US Soccer Head Coach Was Reportedly Threatened With Leaks By Former US Captain in Shocking Twist
AP Photo
According to sources, former United States Soccer captain Claudio Reyna sent messages to U.S. Soccer officials about head coach Gregg Berhalter‘s past with domestic violence.
In his first tweet on Twitter Tuesday afternoon, Berhalter released a statement where he revealed that in 1991 he kicked his then-girlfriend now-wife Rosalind one night while the two were out drinking.
In the statement, Berhalter said:
An individual contacted U.S 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 the end of my relationship with U.S Soccer.
U.S. Soccer immediately launched an investigation into Berhalter’s situation with help from the law firm Alston & Bird LLP.
U.S. Soccer’s statement read:
Upon learning of the allegation against U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Gregg Berhalter on Dec. 11, 2022, U.S. Siccer immediately hired Alston & Bird LLP to conduct an independent investigation into the matter. The investigation is being left by Jenny Kramer, Bjay Pak and Chris Marquardt of Alston & Bird LLP and remains ongoing.
According to ESPN, the people who informed U.S. Soccer were Reyna and his wife Danielle, who appeared in 112 games for the United States. Reyna and Berhalter were teammates in high school at St. Benedicts Preparatory School in New Jersey, and they both played for the U.S. Soccer national team from 1994-2006.
Berhalter’s wife, Rosalind, and Reyna’s wife, Danielle, both played college soccer with one another at the University of North Carolina.
Reyna’s son, Gio, was a member of the U.S. Soccer team that competed in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Gio, 20, expected to play a vital role with the USMNT but did not start in one match while the games took place in Qatar.
Reyna only played in two of the United States’ four matches in Qatar, where he only played seven minutes against England in pool play and the last 45 minutes against the Netherlands in the knockout stage round.
Reyna admitted that he did not respond well after learning he would not have as big of a role as he thought he would have with the national team.
“I let my emotions get the best of me and affect my training and behavior for a few days,” Reyna wrote in an Instagram post. “I apologized to my teammates and coach for this, and I was told I was forgiven.”
Reyna reportedly sent the messages to U.S Soccer after Gio was informed about his role with the national team.
