With USMNT coaching contract in the balance, Gregg Berhalter speaks on Reyna situation, investigation

Despite the ongoing drama between Berhalter and the Reyna family, plus multiple investigations, the coach is open about his desire for a new contract.

Head coach Gregg Berhalter of the United States attends a press conference on the eve of the round of 16 World Cup soccer match between the Netherlands and the United States at Kalifa International Stadium, in Doha, Qatar, Friday, Dec. 2, 2022. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)Read moreAshley Landis / AP

by Andrea Canales

Published Jan. 5, 2023, 5:39 p.m. ET

In the wake of the announced investigation by U.S. Soccer into Gregg Berhalter’s incident with his now-wife in 1991 and also into the “inappropriate contact” of people outside the organization to staff members, both Berhalter and Reyna couples have issued statements describing some of the details involved.

On Thursday, Berhalter told the Harvard Business Review that he would like to have his contract renewed and continue on as USMNT coach for the 2026 cycle, when the World Cup will be hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico, including Philadelphia as a host city.

“There’s a lot of great challenges involved and of course I’d like to continue in my role,” Berhalter said.

He spoke to the situation with the Reyna family, who he has known for most of his life. Claudio Reyna’s father coached Berhalter on youth teams and Claudio was Berhalter’s best man at his wedding to Rosalind.

“Our entire family is saddened by these events. It’s something we want to move forward from,” he said. “As we said in the statement, it was something that we didn’t hide from back then, and we weren’t prepared to hide from it now. That’s why we issued the statement.”

The statement, signed by both Berhalters, was the first indication of the coach’s willingness to fight to continue in the USMNT head coach role and also, that there were multiple investigations into how the domestic violence information had come light and how the motivations of doing so centered around Berhalter being ousted as USMNT coach.

“The events of that night, you know, 31 years ago and the lessons learned from that basically set the foundation for our relationship moving forward -- and it’s a loving relationship, a devote relationship and we have four amazing kids to show for it,” Berhalter said. “I think the worst part of it for me is that my heart aches for my wife, because it was her story to tell, if she chose to or not. That’s what really saddens me. But it’s moving forward, and that’s the way we have to look at it, together as a family. The family has been amazing and it’s taking it one day at a time and moving forward.”

Even as the investigation continues, Berhalter has chosen to remain in the public eye, including his scheduled media appearances, which he acknowledged. “A big reason for doing this show is that I committed to doing it. We committed to doing it before all this stuff happened and I wasn’t going to back down from doing it, because I said I would. Like I said, we just take it one day at a time and hopefully, we look forward to the day when we can move forward from this.”

He acknowledged the high-profile job of USMNT coach came with attendant expectations, saying: “When you’re coaching the United States national team, you know, it’s a huge spotlight. And there’s a lot of people that love you, and a lot of people that don’t love you, and that’s just part of it.”

In response to one question about whether he had any regrets pertaining specifically to the Reyna controversy, Berhalter said he wished he hadn’t spoken about how the midfielder was nearly sent home from the World Cup tournament.

Berhalter further clarified his motivation for wanting to another contract with U.S. Soccer to coach the USMNT.

“It’s a fantastic group of players, a super-high potential in this group,” he said. “And we’re competing in the World Cup in North America in 2026. It would be an amazing challenge for this team. When we started in 2018, we wanted to change the way the world views American soccer. I think when you ask around the world now, the world sees us in a completely different light. But now it’s about taking that next step and that next step is doing what no U.S. team has ever done, and that’s get to the semifinals and see what happens from there.”

Though the United States men’s team reached the semifinals of the World Cup in 1930, the team has not done so in the modern era of soccer, which is generally acknowledged as beginning when the tournament restarted after being suspended during the World Wars.