Parents of benched US soccer star tried to blackmail coach into playing son at World Cup

Jack Birle

January 04, 05:44 PM January 04, 05:44 PM

The parents of American soccer player Giovanni Reyna allegedly contacted the U.S. Soccer Federation with allegations of abuse by coach Greg Berhalter toward his current wife in 1991.

The alleged blackmailing attempt came after Reyna saw less playing time during the World Cup. Berhalter then revealed details of the allegations against him in a lengthy statement on Twitter.

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"One night, while out drinking at a local bar, Rosalind and I had a heated argument that continued outside. It became physical and I kicked her in the legs," Berhalter said. "The lessons learned from that night over three decades ago became the foundation for a loving, devoted, and supportive relationship, which we honored and celebrated with our 25th wedding anniversary this past weekend."

In response to Berhalter's statement, Reyna's mother, Danielle Reyna, responded by saying she had reported the allegations to U.S. Soccer in December and that she was disappointed with how her son was treated during the World Cup.

"Without going into detail, the statements from yesterday significantly minimize the abuse on the night in question. Rosalind Berhalter was my roommate, teammate and best friend, and I supported her through the trauma that followed," Danielle Reyna said in a statement per ESPN.

U.S. Soccer said in a statement Tuesday they had opened an investigation into the allegations and that a separate review is underway evaluating Berhalter's future as coach with the team after his performance in the World Cup.

"We appreciate Gregg and Rosalind coming forward to speak openly about this incident. Consistent with our commitment to transparency, we will share the results of the investigation publicly when it is complete. U.S. Soccer condemns violence of any kind and takes such allegations very seriously," the organization said.

This is the latest incident involving Reyna and comes a month after reports surfaced that he was the player Berhalter almost sent home during the World Cup for a lack of effort.

World Cup 2022: USMNT captain and coach pressured by Iranian journalists over US racial discrimination

Julia Johnson

November 28, 04:21 PM November 28, 04:21 PM

U.S. men's national team head coach Gregg Berhalter and captain Tyler Adams were hounded with pointed questions from Iranian journalists ahead of Tuesday's World Cup match against Iran.

Iran has been under severe scrutiny in the global competition due to the ongoing civil rights issues surrounding the country's women and girls.

“You say you support the Iranian people, but you're pronouncing our country's name wrong. Our country is named 'eee-ron,' not 'i-ran.' Once and for all, let's get this clear,” an Iranian journalist said.

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He then asked Adams if he felt comfortable playing for the USMNT despite there being "so much discrimination against black people in his own borders."

The captain replied that “there's discrimination everywhere you go."

"One thing that I've learned, especially from living abroad in the past years and having to fit in in different cultures and kind of assimilate into different cultures, is that in the U.S., we're continuing to make progress every single day," he explained. "Growing up for me, I grew up in a white family with obviously an African American heritage and background as well."

Adams further lauded the progress being made in the United States.

When Berhalter was hit with questions on the state of geopolitics between the U.S. and Iran as well as inflation in his home country, he told reporters, “I don't know enough about politics. I'm a soccer coach.”

“And I'm not well versed on international politics, so I can't comment on that," he added.

The coach and captain maintained that their focus lies on the match against Iran on Tuesday.

Berhalter has further said the team had no part in recent posts from the U.S. Soccer Federation, which scrubbed the Islamic emblem from Iran's flag. "The players and the staff knew nothing about what was being posted," he said.

"Sometimes things are out of our control. We believe that it's going to be a match that the result will depend on who puts more effort in, who executes better on the field. And we're not focused on those outside things. All we can do on our behalf is apologize on behalf of the players and the staff, but it's not something that we are part of," he continued.

According to ESPN, Iran has since filed a complaint with FIFA's ethics committee.