Gregg Berhalter admits there’s still work to be done to mend relationship with Gio Reyna as he’s re-introduced as US Soccer head coach
Gregg Berhalter was re-introduced as the USA men’s national team coach on Friday and acknowledged there was “work to be done” to mend his relationship with Gio Reyna.
Berhalter hardly used Reyna during the World Cup in Qatar and told a subsequent business conference – meant to be confidential – that an anonymous player was almost sent home for his lack of effort.
That player was later confirmed to be Reyna and following Berhalter’s comments, Gio’s mother Danielle Reyna revealed to US Soccer that the coach and his now-wife Rosalind were involved in a domestic violence incident while they were students.
“I would definitely acknowledge that there is still work to be done and Gio is an important player for this team,” Berhalter told reporters on Friday.
“He is an extremely talented person and I have the obligation and commitment to coach him like I coach any other player.”
Gregg Berhalter was reinstated as the head coach of the United States men’s national team
Berhalter’s decision to leave Gio Reyna out of the starting XI in Qatar drew heavy criticism
“And I want to get the best out of him – we want to get the best out of him and we know that if we can unleash his talents he will be a game changer in this program.”
“So there’s a lot to do, and part of that is working with.” [sporting director] Frosted [Crocker]and trying to rebuild a relationship that we know will be important in the future.
While Berhalter’s contract was allowed to expire after the World Cup, the Reynas’ claims led to a report by law firm Alston & Bird on behalf of US Soccer.
The report said that Reyna’s parents spoke to then-US soccer boss Earnie Stewart on the night of December 11, 2022 [note: after the US had been eliminated] “Disclosing information about Mr. Berhalter…that Ms. Reyna had known for decades, and…the information was disclosed at a time when it was expected that it would dissuade or otherwise influence the organization from offering Mr. a contract extension.” ‘ Berhalter.’
Despite these measures, the Alston & Bird report stated that this was neither extortion nor extortion.
However, the report uncovered a pattern of behavior by Claudio Reyna that may have violated the provisions of the FIFA Code of Ethics.
The investigation, ordered by US Soccer, concerned an incident of domestic violence between him and his now-wife, Rosalind, in 1992
This comes after Danielle disclosed Reyna Berhalter’s domestic violence incident to US Soccer
According to ESPN, the former US captain also threatened to reveal details about Berhalter’s past during the tournament as his son only played 52 minutes in total.
At the HOW Institute for Society’s Summit on Moral Leadership in December, Berhalter described the situation regarding Reyna in Qatar as “extreme”.
Reyna admitted in an Instagram post that he was letting his emotions run free after being told before the game started that he would only have a “very limited” role in the tournament.
After the 1992 incident came to light, Berhalter admitted that he actually kicked Rosalind during an argument and described the incident as a one-off incident.
Alston & Bird’s investigation concluded that Rosalind and Gregg Berhalter’s recollections of the events were accurate.
Based on the findings, Berhalter remained a candidate for the post.
Berhalter also shared that he hasn’t spoken to Reyna since the tournament ended.
“I think there are a number of people you would like to speak to,” Berhalter said on Friday, sharing that he has not yet spoken to Ricardo Pepi or Zack Steffen, who he had dropped from the World Cup squad.
“And ideally, you have the ability to balance everyone. “We’re just trying to be great together.”