Claims Against US Soccer Coaches Are Filed By Parents Of Player Gioraina

Information about a decades-old incident involving Greg Berhalter, the head coach of the US Men’s National Team at last year’s World Cup, was brought to the United States Soccer Federation by Daniel Reyna, the mother of US player Gio Reyna. It was shared with

Allegations regarding the 1991 incident between Verhalter and his now-wife, Rosalind, were made public on Tuesday when Verhalter admitted to the incident. said received.

On Wednesday, ESPN reported that Daniel Reyna and her husband, Claudio, a former US men’s national soccer captain and now the sports director of MLS club Austin FC, were the sources.

Danielle Reyna later confirmed in a statement to the press that she had shared the information with U.S. Soccer, following comments made by Burhalter about her son Gio, who saw limited playing time at 2022 FIFA Worlds. “Absolutely outraged and devastated,” he said of the Cup in Qatar.

Additionally, ESPN cited multiple sources who said Claudio Reina threatened to “share claims about Burhalter’s past” in a message to US soccer officials.

In a separate statement, Claudio Reina admitted to sending messages to US football officials about his son’s limited playing time during the World Cup. . “I have never threatened anyone, nor do I intend to,” he said.

The United States Soccer Federation hired a law firm to conduct an independent investigation into the Burhalter case when it learned of the allegations in December.

As that investigation progressed, U.S. soccer officials learned of “potentially inappropriate communications and actions from third parties to U.S. staff,” federation officials said Wednesday. It is currently part of an investigation.

This development rocked the American football world. One of the reasons is that the people involved have a long history together.

“Obviously this is not a good time for football in this country and for the men’s national team, and it’s a tough time for the families involved,” federation president Cindy Parlow Cohn said. We hope that this will be resolved as soon as possible so that we can move forward together with the men’s team.”

1991 Burhalter Incident

bar halter met his wife They were students at the University of North Carolina and were also football players. Danielle Reyna also played soccer there and she and Rosalind were roommates.

The allegations Rayna shared centered around a 1991 incident in which Burhalter kicked his future wife during a “fierce argument,” as he said in a statement Tuesday signed by both Greg and Rosalind. .

“Rosalind and I got into a big argument one night when we were drinking at a local bar and it continued outside. It got physical and I kicked her in the leg.” he said. “Although the authorities have never been involved in this matter, I voluntarily sought counseling to learn, grow and improve. It’s one of those decisions that, to this day, has never been repeated.”

The two briefly separated but eventually reunited. They have been married for 25 years since then.

“There is no excuse for my actions that night. It was a shameful moment and I regret it to this day,” he said.

In a statement Tuesday, US Soccer said it “condemns violence of any kind and takes such allegations very seriously.”

Years after the incident, the two couples became close. Berhalter and Reyna played together on the US Men’s National Team. Also, according to a biography published on the All-American Soccer Team’s Players Association website, Reyna served as best man at Verhalter’s wedding.

Pascal Guillot/AFP via Getty Images

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AFP via Getty Images

Geo’s playing time and World Cup controversy

Trouble between Reynas and Berhalter seemed to center around the couple’s 20-year-old son Gio. He himself is a professional soccer player and a member of the US Men’s National Team.

Expectations were high for the young Reina ahead of the World Cup. However, some controversy arose over his lack of playing time during the tournament, as he played just his 52 minutes as a substitute and missed two games entirely.

On December 11th, after the United States was eliminated, The Athletic published a report that Reina suffered from “lack of effort” at the World Cup and was on the verge of being discharged. “Reina’s problems ended there,” a source told The Athletic after apologizing to her teammates.

The same day, Verhalter’s remarks at a leadership meeting were revealed, in which he described his difficulties with an unnamed player who “clearly did not live up to expectations on and off the field”. He and the team leader urged the player to apologize and then said “there was nothing wrong with this player.”Berhalter didn’t name him directly, but the comments were about his Reyna. was widely recognized to be

Burhalter believed these statements would go off the record, US Soccer later said. Instead, they were published on the leadership’s website, fueling drama.

On December 12th, Gio Reina publicly apologized. Reyna wrote on her Instagram, “I fully admit that in the days after I found out my role was limited, I let my emotions get the best of me and influenced my training and behavior. “I apologized to my teammates and coach and they said I was forgiven.”

What Reinas said about the incident

In a statement to the press on Wednesday, Daniel Reyna said “immediately after the news broke” of Verhalter’s comments at the conference on Dec. 11 with U.S. Soccer Sports Director Ernie Stewart for information about the 1991 incident. said to have shared the

She said she felt “very personally betrayed by the actions of someone my family considered a friend for decades.” But I thought it was especially unfair that Greg was being dragged through the mud when he asked for and received forgiveness for doing something so bad at his age,” she explained. .

Reyna also said of Burhalter’s remarks about the 1991 incident, “[s] She didn’t provide details, but the abuse that night.”

“When I called Earnie, a lot of people were trashing Gio on social media because of Gregg’s comments. I didn’t know when or if this would stop. To my son,” he said. she said.

She said she did not seek to fire Berhalter and denied the threats. “I don’t know anything about the blackmail attempts,” she said.

In a statement, Claudio Reina said he supported his wife’s explanation, adding that the comments about their son “upset him too.”

Gio Reina has not publicly commented.

What’s next for American soccer?

US Soccer says it is currently investigating allegations against Burhalter, whose contract as head coach of the men’s national team expired on December 31.

On Wednesday, team officials announced they had appointed an interim head coach while the investigation continued.Anthony Hudson, 41, previously served as the men’s team’s assistant coach. He will lead the team in an international friendly match scheduled for this month.

“Previously, the normal review of the past four years of the entire post-World Cup program began in the summer, well before the end of year contract expiration,” the federation said in a statement.

Berhalter is still considering being rehired for the job until both the investigation and review are completed, officials said Wednesday. JT Batson, the organization’s chief executive officer and executive director, said, “We agreed that we should conduct an investigation before making a decision.

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