Gregg Berhalter said he felt ‘sad’ after revealing a domestic violence incident from 31 years ago when he gave his first interview since his bombshell statement and the Reyna family revealed the story to US Soccer.
Berhalter said in a statement last week that he was targeted by a third party who sought to ‘bring him down’ as he admitted to kicking his now-wife Rosalind when she was 18.
Danielle Reyna, the mother of USA player Gio Reyna, admitted Wednesday to sharing information about the Dec. 11 incident with US officials after Berhalter detailed at a leadership conference how an unnamed player was nearly sent home. player (later confirmed as Queen) from Qatar for not ‘meeting expectations.’
Former USA captain Claudio Reyna also threatened to share details of Berhalter’s past during the tournament, according to ESPN.
And the coach spoke publicly for the first time since the story broke Thursday.
‘I think it’s sad. Our entire family is saddened by these events. It’s something we want to move forward,’ Berhalter, who played youth and high school soccer with Claudio Reyna, told the Harvard Business Review on Thursday.
‘The worst part of it for me is my heartache for my husband. This is his story to tell.
Berhalter also mentioned during the 30-minute chat that he wants to continue as USA coach after Holland’s team was eliminated in the round of 16 in Qatar.
‘It’s a fantastic group of players, the potential is so high in this group… it’s going to be a fantastic challenge for this team [competing in the 2026 World Cup in the US, Mexico and Canada],’ he added.
Berhalter opens up about kicking his wife Rosalind (left) during an argument in 1991
Claudio and Danielle Reyna (pictured in 2018) released statements after US Soccer was told about Berhalter’s domestic violence incident in 1991
Berhalter’s US soccer contract expires at the end of 2022, with assistant Anthony Hudson tapped to coach the team’s January friends.
At the HOW Institute for Society’s Summit on Moral Leadership in December, Berhalter called the situation regarding Reyna in Qatar ‘extreme,’ as the player acknowledged his bad behavior after saying he would play a ‘very limited’ role in the tournament.
Athletic cite sources describing a ‘pronounced’ lack of effort from the player during the World Cup.
Asked Thursday if he had any regrets about how he handled the Queen’s situation, Berhalter said, ‘We’re always looking to improve… if I had it to do over again, I wouldn’t tell that story.’
He added at another point: ‘Trust is something that takes a long time to build but can be lost very quickly.
Danielle Reyna was not happy with the treatment of her son Gio by Berhalter in the World Cup
‘You have to be consistent with who you are, and you have to have clear values. And if you are they will see that.
‘My bond with the players is very strong and it’s about maintaining that bond. And I think the players and staff know who I am and what I stand for.’
Reyna, a winger for German Champions League club Borussia Dortmund, is considered one of the national team’s top talents and is expected to play a key role in Qatar.
Instead, he played just 52 minutes and did not start.
“It’s about looking those tough conversations in the face and getting through it,” Berhalter said Thursday.
Claudio Reyna (No. 10) and Berhalter (No. 3) played for the USA between 1994 and 2006
‘If a player isn’t starting a game, the last thing a coach should do is avoid telling them why.’
The coach ended the interview by answering how he coped with the recent situation.
‘I have a strong family. I have a very supportive family. For me it’s about my husband, about my feelings for him,’ he said.
This is his story, I feel tremendously bad that my profession had to bring this to the public light. We have received lots of support with lots of lovely messages from people who have known our family over the years.’
Berhalter, who played for the USA as a defenseman between 1994 and 2006, made the information public to his 1,003 Twitter followers. His account was not verified but the statement was confirmed by the US Soccer Federation. The body in charge is also conducting an investigation.
‘During the World Cup, an individual contacted US Soccer, saying they had information about me that would “take me down” – an apparent attempt to capitalize on something so personal from so long ago to end my relationship with US Soccer,’ part of his statement read on Tuesday.
Berhalter released a statement on his Twitter profile on Tuesday afternoon to clarify some ‘personal information that was used by a third party against my family and me’
