Mother of National Team Player's Son,
Coach's Wife 30 Years Ago Accused of Assault and Threats
Conflict Between US Soccer Families Over Player Selection
[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Jong-min] Greg Berhalter, the coach who led the U.S. national team to the Round of 16 in the 2022 Qatar World Cup, is facing a crisis of resignation after being embroiled in a 30-year-old violence scandal. The conflict between American soccer legends over a player's participation is the background of this fallout, causing significant turmoil in American society.
On the 3rd (local time), according to U.S. media including ESPN, the U.S. Soccer Federation announced that it is investigating a past dating violence incident between Coach Berhalter and his wife. On the same day, Coach Berhalter confessed on Twitter that during a date in 1991 with his then-girlfriend, who was also a female soccer player at the same university and is now his wife, an argument broke out and he kicked her. Berhalter stated, "There is no excuse for my behavior that night," and described it as "a shameful moment I have regretted ever since." The two briefly separated after the assault but later married and have been together for 25 years.
This confession was not voluntary. Berhalter mentioned that during the World Cup, someone contacted the federation suggesting they had information that could bring him down. According to local media, the person who threatened Berhalter was the mother of Giovanni Reyna (Borussia Dortmund), a player who participated in this World Cup, who is also a friend of Berhalter’s wife and a former teammate on the soccer team. Reyna’s father is Claudio Reyna, a former captain of the U.S. national team. Reyna’s mother and Berhalter’s wife played together on the North Carolina State University women’s soccer team. The two families, connected through soccer, were close friends, but the situation rapidly deteriorated.
Reyna’s mother also admitted to revealing Berhalter’s assault. The trigger was Berhalter’s decision not to prioritize Reyna, who was a promising player at the Qatar World Cup, citing Reyna’s lack of diligence in training. Reyna narrowly remained on the team after a player vote during a potential early return and apologized to teammates before playing as a substitute for 45 minutes in the Round of 16 match.
The U.S. Soccer Federation has commissioned an external agency to investigate, and both Berhalter and his wife have agreed to cooperate with the investigation. Berhalter was appointed in December 2018, and his term runs until the end of this year. Despite leading the golden generation of the U.S. team to the Round of 16 in the World Cup, his retention is uncertain due to this scandal. During the investigation period, the U.S. Soccer Federation appointed Anthony Hudson as interim coach.
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