Story of Men's Soccer Coach Who Kicked Wife Gets Weird

UPDATE Jan 5, 2023 2:21 AM CST

It was the mother of US Soccer player Giovanni Reyna who told US Soccer on Dec. 11 that head coach Gregg Berhalter kicked his wife when the couple were teens. Danielle Reyna, a former US women's soccer player, was the roommate and UNC soccer teammate of Berhalter's now-wife at the time, the BBC reports. Her husband, former US national team captain Claudio Reyna, has been Berhalter's friend since their club soccer days and was the best man at his wedding. "But I want to be very clear that I did not ask for Gregg to be fired, I did not make any threats, and I don't know anything about any blackmail attempts," she said, per Bleacher Report. She made the report after Berhalter made comments implying Gio Reyna had not put forth his full effort when the team was in the World Cup, which Danielle Reyna considered a betrayal considering how close the families are, the Washington Post reports. She said it was "unfair" for her son, 20, to be publicly trashed when Berhalter had done something "much worse" around the same age.

Jan 4, 2023 9:32 AM CST

US men's soccer head coach Gregg Berhalter says someone contacted him during the World Cup, promising to "take me down." In response, the 49-year-old has admitted to kicking his wife during an argument in 1991 when they were teenagers in college. "While out drinking at a local bar, Rosalind and I had a heated argument that continued outside. It became physical and I kicked her in the legs," he wrote in a statement co-signed by his wife of 25 years, per the BBC. "There are zero excuses for my actions that night" but "a single bad decision made by a teenager does not necessarily define him for the rest of his life." US Soccer said Tuesday that it learned of the allegation on Dec. 11 and "immediately hired Alston & Bird LLP to conduct an independent investigation into the matter."

US Soccer said it "condemns violence of any kind and takes such allegations very seriously." It added it has since "learned about potential inappropriate behavior towards multiple members of our staff by individuals outside of our organization. We take such behavior seriously and have expanded our investigation to include those allegations." Berhalter said the incident was "a shameful moment" four months into the couple's relationship "and one that I regret to this day." "It was a single, isolated event over three decades ago and a terrible decision made in a bad moment by an 18-year-old." He said Rosalind initially "wanted nothing to do with me" after the incident but the couple reconciled seven months later. Authorities were never involved.

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"I voluntarily sought out counselling to help learn, grow and improve" and "to this day, that type of behavior has never been repeated," Berhalter wrote, adding, "the lessons learned from that night over three decades ago became the foundation for a loving, devoted, and supportive relationship." US Soccer commended the couple for being forthcoming and said the results of the ongoing investigation would be made public. It also said it would "announce who will lead the January Men's National Team camp in the coming days," per People. Berhalter's contract expired at the end of last year, though he said he was "looking forward to continuing my conversations with US Soccer about the future." Hired in December 2018, he led the team to 37 wins, 11 losses, and 12 draws, per ESPN. (More US Soccer stories.)