Gregg Berhalter admits there is ‘work to do’ to repair relationship with Gio Reyna

Gregg Berhalter was re-introduced Friday as the coach of the US men’s national team and acknowledged there is ‘work to do’ to repair his relationship with Gio Reyna.

Berhalter hardly used Reyna during the World Cup in Qatar and shared at a conference afterwards – which was meant to be off the record – that an anonymous player was almost sent home because of their lack of effort.

That player was later confirmed to be Reyna, and after Berhalter’s comments, Gio’s mother Danielle Reyna disclosed to US Soccer that the coach and his now-wife Rosalind had been involved in a domestic violence incident while in college.

‘I’d certainly acknowledge that there’s work to do, and Gio is an important player to this team,’ Berhalter told reporters Friday.

‘He’s an extremely talented individual and I have the obligation and commitment to coach him like I coach every other player.’

Berhalter’s decision to keep Gio Reyna (7) out of the starting lineup was highly criticized

‘And I wanna get the best out of him – we wanna get the best out of him, and we know that if we can unlock his talents, he’s gonna be a game changer for this program.

‘So there’s work to do, and part of it is working together with [sporting director] Matt [Crocker], and trying to rebuild a relationship, that we know will be important moving forward. 

Berhalter’s contract with US Soccer expired after the World Cup, and a report was commissioned into the Reynas claims by law firm Alston & Bird, commissioned by US Soccer.

The report said that the Reyna parents spoke to then-US Soccer chief Earnie Stewart on the night of December 11, 2022 to disclose ‘information about Mr. Berhalter… that Mrs. Reyna had known for decades and… the information was disclosed at a time when it would be expected to discourage or otherwise influence the organization from offering a contract extension to Mr. Berhalter.’

The investigation, ordered by US Soccer, was into a domestic violence incident involving him and his now-wife Rosalind in 1992

However, despite these actions, Alston & Bird’s report says they do not constitute blackmail or extortion. The report did uncover a pattern of behavior from Claudio Reyna, though, that could have violated regulations within the FIFA Code of Ethics.

After the 1992 incident came to light, Berhalter acknowledged it was true, characterizing it as a one-time incident.

The Alston & Bird investigation found that Rosalind and Gregg Berhalter’s recollection of the events were accurate.

As a result of the findings, Berhalter remained a candidate for the position.