After the World Cup, Berhalter shared information in a private conference about Gio Reyna’s behavior, this in turn resulted in Gio’s parents, three-time World Cup veteran Claudio Reyna and Mother Danielle being at the center of filtering a domestic violence incident from Berhalter’s past involving his future wife Rosalind.

The report issued by Alston & Bird LLP now shows that Claudio Reyna had systematically contacted many officials within US Soccer from 2016-2022 discussing his children and their treatment within the program.

Reyna-Berhalter scandal investigation complete

The investigation concluded the following:

• Both Claudio and Danielle Reyna had contacted then Sporting Director Earnie Stewart via phone call on December 11th 2022, reporting that Gregg Berhalter had hit his wife Rosalind back when they were in college at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill campus.
• Stewart had told the Reyna’s that he would have to report the incident to his superiors.
• Stewart also mentioned to investigators that the Reyna’s “were not intending to make this information public,” but “they were thinking about starting to spread the story to others privately.”
• Stewart concluded that it was the intent of the Reyna’s that Gregg Berhalter not be hired by US Soccer for a second term.
• When questioned Berhalter admitted to the incident in question, he also admitted he had told many on the UNC campus and sought counseling afterward.
• Rosalind Berhalter confirmed what happened with her future husband and told women’s soccer coach Anson Dorrance.
• Danielle Reyna at first did not want to answer any questions from the investigators but eventually admitted that she was “in a very upset state” over her son’s limited playing time.
• Claudio Reyna had told then USMNT GM Brian McBride that “You guys don’t even know what we know about Gregg.”
• Claudio Reyna refused to be interviewed and triedto negotiate with the investigators, no negotiation ever took place.
• Gregg Berhalter went through at least two background checks before the 2022 World Cup.
• Claudio Reyna between the years of 2016-2022 had consistently texted or called various members of US Soccer in a “inappropriate,” “bullying,” and “mean spirited” tone regarding issues relating to his children, but more focused on Gio Reyna.
• The issues stemmed from red cards given to his son, referees assigned to his son’s matches, and son’s lack of playing time at various moments of his youth national team career.
• Berhalter admitted that during the U-17 World Cup, Claudio Reyna texted him belittling the USA’s U-17 coach.
• From 2019-2020 Claudio Reyna had complained about Gio Reyna’s treatment, travel arrangements, and coaches.
• Gio Reyna showed a poor attitude during training at the FIFA World Cup even before the team’s opening match against Wales.
• Berhalter admitted that “There were 150 people in the Friends and Family program at this year’s World Cup. All were having a great time except for five people who were absolutely miserable. Those five were cursing, acting horribly. It was the Reynas.”
• Brian McBride admits that once he took over as GM of the USMNT he immediately began to receive complaints from Claudio Reyna on an array of issues.

The final verdict

US Soccer has issued the following statement regarding the complete findings of the report:

“U.S. Soccer’s process for determining who will serve as Sporting Director is ongoing, and interviews are underway. The Sporting Director will lead the process of determining who will serve as head coach of the Men’s National Team. Given the investigators’ conclusion that there is no legal impediment to employing him, Gregg Berhalter remains a candidate to serve as head coach of the Men’s National Team.

The report also identifies a need to revisit U.S. Soccer’s policies concerning appropriate parental conduct and communications with staff at the National Team level. We will be updating those policies as we continue to work to ensure safe environments for all participants in our game.”

You can read the complete report by Alston & Bird LLP here.

According to various sources and reported by ESPN, Danielle Reyna was the person who informed US Soccer of an incident between Gregg Berhalter and his future wife Rosalind where the coach of the USMNT kicked his future wife in the legs when they were 18 years of age at a bar. A statement issued by the Reyna family states that, “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,” Danielle Reyna stated on her behalf.

Gregg Berhalter himself took to Twitter to issue a statement where he said the information was an attempt to have him removed from his position asUSMNT coach, the manager is currently out of contract and was negotiating with the federation. Things between Gregg Berhalter and the Reyna family hit a fever pitch when it became apparent during the 2022 World Cup that Gregg Berhalter was not going to give Gio Reyna substantial minutes on the field due to what was cited as “inappropriate behavior” in the national team camp.

The relationship between the Berhalter and Reyna families

It has been reported by various former players and pundits of the USMNT that the Berhalter and Reyna families were “very close”. Both Claudio Reyna and Gregg Berhalter played youth and high school soccer together and were USMNT teammates going back to the 1995 Copa America in Uruguay where the USMNT came in fourth. Danielle Reyna and Rosalind Berhalter were teammates at the University of North Carolina women’s soccer team.

Danielle Reyna told US Soccer authorities, which included Earnie Stewart, about the incident in December of 2022 after Berhalter made public the issues surrounding the benching of her son Gio Reyna during the World Cup. Although Gio Reyna was not mentioned by name by Berhalter at the HOW Institute for Society’s Summit on Moral Leadership in New York conference, it was heavily implied to be Gio Reyna the player in question he used as his example and it forced club Borussia Dortmund to issue a statement as well. Claudio Reyna, who works as the Sporting Director of Austin FC in MLS issued a statement supporting his wife.

“While in Qatar, I shared my frustrations about my son’s World Cup experience with a number of close friends, Earnie (Stewart) and Brian McBride (GM of the USMNT program) among them. However, at no time did I ever threaten anyone, norwould I ever do so.”

At the moment all US Soccer has commented on is that Anthony Hudson will lead the US men’s national team at the January camp against Serbia (1/25) and Colombia (1/28). Austin FC, where Claudio Reyna works, have not issued a statement and neitherhas Borussia Dortmund, club where Gio Reyna plays for and, who publicly defended their player when the allegations of his poor conduct during the World Cup became public.

Robert Klein, CEO of Bundesliga International, and Russell Wolff, Executive VP & General Manager of ESPN+ stressed the importance to tap into the game within the game and storytelling that has made ESPN so famous. The opportunity to provide fans with content that will center around what makes the Bundesliga one of the top leagues in the world.

At the center ofthat extra content are the American players playing in the Bundesliga. There are 6 players from the United States playing in various clubs ofthe German top flight and telling each of these players’ stories will add value to the games that will be broadcast across the network.Inthe opening week of the season, SportsCenter will run a profile on Borussia Dortmund’s Giovanni “Gio” Reyna, as a way to start hooking the American audience.

Details of the partnership

The multi-year deal will give fans over 300 games to view across the various ESPN networks and digital platforms. There will be games in both English and Spanish, as well as storytelling content that will air throughout the week on various shows across the network and on digital platforms. There will also be content shows like the Top 50 goals of last season and interviews with players and managers during the course of the season.

The backbone of the deal will be the story features on American and top Bundesliga players. Those featureswill convey the German lifestyle and struggles these players face and will provide key content to follow throughout the season. ESPN will also air classic Bundesliga matches of the past as a way to showcase the great history of the league.

The Bundesliga and American players

In the virtual press conference two of the United States‘ most historic players, former captain Claudio Reyna, father of Gio Reyna, and former national team goalkeeper Kasey Keller were present to provide a first-hand account of life in Germany. Both played in the Bundesliga at certain points of their careers and went through their own experiences of what life was like in the German top flight.

Claudio Reyna, who played for Bayer Leverkusen and VfL Wolfsburg in the mid-90s, stressed that at first going to Germany was a huge culture shock. German teams, at that time, rarely had an emphasis on young talent, often relying on older, established players, and for the young Reyna, few if any, teammates spoke in English. Something that today is completely different.

For Kasey Keller, who played for Borussia Mönchengladbach one year before the 2006 World Cup, when he arrived “…everything was different. The stadiums were all being built in preparation for the World Cup and almost every one of my teammates spoke English. It made things easier.” Keller also noted that the Bundesliga provides young Americans an opportunity to “get better” and that “there is a little bit more patience withyounger players than other top leagues, but eventually you have to produce. Sure, the league has mechanisms in place to help young talent, but eventually, they will want to see results and you will have to produce or you lose your spot.”

The Bundesliga, historically, has been very welcoming toAmericans, 58 players have suited up for German teams over the years, and now the six that are there now, play vital roles on their teams. The new TV deal is a platform that will bring more fans to one of Europe’s top leagues.