The three-month probe, performed by the Alston & Bird legislation agency, concluded Berhalter had not dedicated any extra acts of violence in opposition to his now-wife since 1992 and hadn’t violated any disclosure guidelines throughout his hiring course of. He had beforehand admitted to kicking her whereas they have been relationship as college students on the University of North Carolina.
With that discovering, the U.S. Soccer Federation mentioned Berhalter would stay a candidate to return as coach. His contract expired Dec. 31.
“Given the investigators’ conclusion that there is no legal impediment to employing him, Gregg Berhalter remains a candidate to serve as head coach,” the us mentioned in a press release.
The governing physique mentioned it won’t rent a coach till it appoints a brand new sporting director, a place that oversees all nationwide groups. Earnie Stewart left the job final month. Anthony Hudson, a World Cup assistant, is the interim coach.
The subsequent coach will start making ready the U.S. group for the 2026 World Cup, which is able to happen within the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Berhalter guided the United States for 4 years, main a younger squad to 2 regional championships and a spot within the World Cup, the place it completed second in group play and misplaced to the Netherlands within the spherical of 16.
Investigators mentioned within the report that they “uncovered no facts to show that U.S. Soccer knew of the 1992 Incident when it hired Mr. Berhalter; no facts to show that similar incidents occurred at any point in the last 31 years; no facts to show that the 1992 Incident has any nexus to the present or to the workplace; and no facts to support a claim that Mr. Berhalter presents a risk of harm to others.”
Berhalter’s spouse, Rosalind, advised investigators she was not injured and didn’t complain to the college. No police report was filed, so Gregg Berhalter was beneath no obligation to disclose the incident throughout his job interview, the report said. “There is no basis to conclude that Mr. Berhalter misled U.S. Soccer about the 1992 Incident at any time,” the investigators said.
They did, nevertheless, say the incident was “unlawful and improper” and, had it occurred throughout Berhalter’s tenure as U.S. coach, “it would have created significant legal issues for the organization.”
The Berhalters have been married for 25 years and have 4 youngsters.
“First and foremost, Rosalind and I have respect for the process U.S. Soccer had to go through. We’re grateful that it’s concluded, and we look forward to what’s next,” Gregg Berhalter mentioned Monday.
Details of the altercation have been delivered to the us in December by Danielle Reyna, the mom of rising star Gio Reyna and the school roommate of Rosalind Berhalter.
Danielle Reyna and her husband, former U.S. star Claudio Reyna, an in depth good friend to Gregg Berhalter for many years, have been upset with Berhalter throughout and after the World Cup. Gio Reyna, one of many group’s high younger gamers, performed sparingly within the match.
During a speech in New York three days after the United States was eradicated, Berhalter implied, with out naming him, that Gio Reyna had created issues behind the scenes within the days main as much as the match and was almost despatched house.
Berhalter was advised the speech was off the file, however a transcript was made public.
Danielle Reyna then shared the 1992 incident with the us, which prompted the investigation and placed on maintain the federation’s resolution whether or not to supply Berhalter a brand new contract.
In a preemptive transfer, Berhalter went public with details about the incident and suggested it was getting used in opposition to him.
A USSF worker — whose identify was redacted from the report, the federation mentioned, to guard privateness — advised investigators that, after Gio Reyna didn’t play within the World Cup opener in opposition to Wales, Danielle Reyna mentioned “something along the lines of, ‘Once this tournament is over, I can make one phone call and give one interview, and his cool sneakers and bounce passes will be gone. … I can take him down.’ ”
During video games, Berhalter wore high-end sneakers, and when the ball got here to him, he typically would return it to a participant with a basketball-style bounce go.
Brian McBride, the group’s normal supervisor on the time and Claudio Reyna’s former teammate, obtained an electronic mail from Claudio Reyna after the draw with Wales, the report said. “Our entire family is disgusted, angry, and done with you guys,” it mentioned. “Don’t expect nice comments from anyone in our family about US Soccer. I’m being transparent to you not like the political clown show of the federation.”
It was not the primary time Claudio Reyna, a Hall of Famer and four-time World Cup participant who attended the University of Virginia, had complained about his son’s therapy. The report mentioned, “Witnesses described a pattern of periodic outreach by Mr. Reyna to U.S. Soccer officials and staff from in or around 2016 through the end of 2022, the purpose of which was to convey certain complaints and comments.”
Witnesses, the report mentioned, claimed Reyna tried to affect selections by U.S. officers and workers members regarding his youngsters on “issues ranging from travel arrangements to the impact of on-pitch refereeing decisions.”
Gio Reyna was a member of youth nationwide groups between 2016 and 2019.
Gregg Berhalter advised investigators, “When things don’t go great for Gio, [the Reynas] pivot and go into attack mode.” He mentioned what occurred on the 2022 World Cup was much like what occurred on the 2019 Under-17 World Cup.
In 2018, the report said, Claudio Reyna complained to the us a couple of feminine referee working an academy sport involving Gio Reyna. The electronic mail mentioned, “Can we get real and have male refs for a game like this?”
Claudio Reyna declined to be interviewed by investigators, the report mentioned. But his attorneys disputed that, saying he tried a number of instances to rearrange to offer data, reply questions and reply to allegations.
Danielle Reyna, the report mentioned, initially denied sharing data with Stewart in regards to the Berhalters’ altercation, then referred to as investigators again and confirmed she had spoken with him.
“We were impressed with Mr. Berhalter’s candor and demeanor during the investigation,” the report said. It later famous, “We were less impressed with the Reynas’ cooperation during the investigation.”
The Reynas weren’t obtainable for remark Monday.
According to the report, Berhalter advised investigators that, in the course of the World Cup: “There were 150 people in the Friends and Family program [in Qatar]. All were having a great time — except for five people who were absolutely miserable. Those five were cursing, acting horribly. It was the Reynas.”
The report mentioned Claudio Reyna’s actions raised “a legitimate issue about whether he violated FIFA’s rules and regulations” as a result of he was the sporting director of MLS’s Austin FC. (In January, he resigned.) The Reynas, nevertheless, didn’t violate any legal guidelines, it said.
The USSF mentioned Claudio Reyna’s alleged actions didn’t violate any of the group’s insurance policies as a result of it doesn’t have a communication coverage involving mother and father of gamers.
It’s unclear whether or not Gio Reyna’s nationwide group standing shall be affected by the report. His subsequent potential call-up is for Concacaf Nations League matches at Grenada on March 24 and in opposition to El Salvador on March 27 in Orlando. That roster shall be introduced this week. Hudson, the interim coach, met with Reyna just a few weeks in the past in Germany, the place he performs for Borussia Dortmund.
