People Behaving Badly: The Latest in the Berhalter-Reyna Saga

When Grown-Ups' Egos Ruin the Game for Everyone Else

March 15, 2023

The independent investigation into the family feud between the Reynas and Berhalters dropped on Monday. The investigation was conducted by law firm Alston & Bird headquartered in Atlanta, GA and while there wasn’t a whole lot in the way of bombshells, it did raise some eyebrows.

I didn’t think the Reynas could come off worse than they did in earlier reports, but, whew, was their behavior ugly.

U.S. Soccer foreshadowed just how horribly Claudio and Danielle Reyna behaved:

That last paragraph: “The report also identifies a need to revisit U.S. Soccer’s policies concerning appropriate parental conduct and communications with staff at the National Team level. We will be updating those policies as we continue to work to ensure safe environments for all participants in our game.”

Big. Yikes.

According to the report, Claudio Reyna refused to participate in the investigation, while Danielle Reyna initially refused to participate. Then she denied ever saying anything about the Berhalters’ incident to US Soccer Technical Director Earnie Stewart. Shortly after that call with Alston & Bird, she called again and walked back her denial.

At the start of the first phone conversation, Mrs. Reyna made clear that she did not want to speak with us. We asked her if she and Mr. Reyna had a phone conversation with Mr. Stewart on December 11th at 7:28 p.m. In response, Mrs. Reyna told us, “I will not confirm anything.” She said she would not get involved because, as she explained, “I have cleaned my mind.”

Very shortly after the first call ended, Mrs. Reyna called back. She began the second call by saying, “I did say it,” in reference to the call with Mr. Stewart. She explained that she had a phone conversation with Mr. Stewart and told him that “there was an incident our freshman year I had to deal with” involving Mr. and Mrs. Berhalter.

In her second interview with the law firm, Danielle Reyna stated that she did not witness the altercation between Gregg Berhalter and his then-girlfriend Rosalind Santana (now Rosalind Berhalter). Yet, that didn’t stop her from telling Earnie Stewart that Berhalter “…beat the living shit out of her in a back alleyway,” in a December 11, 2022 phone call.

Possibly the closest thing to a bombshell coming out of the investigation is the fact that Gregg told his brother Jay Berhalter about the 1992 incident the day after it occurred. Why is this eyebrow-raising? Because Jay Berhalter held one of the most powerful roles within U.S. Soccer at the time his brother Gregg was hired as the Men’s National Team head coach. While his role had recently switched from technical to commercial, Jay’s presence had to still loom large over the technical staff.

Should Jay Berhalter have alerted the executive team to his brother’s domestic violence incident? In an ideal situation, that would have been noted and investigated at the time of his hire. However, no criminal complaint was ever filed, so the incident would not have shown up in a background check. But at the very least it would have prevented it from being weaponized by parties with an axe to grind.

 If “weaponized” sounds dramatic, this is what Danielle Reyna reportedly told an unidentified U.S. Soccer official: “Once this tournament is over, I can make one phone call and give one interview, and his cool sneakers and bounce passes will be gone.”

A LIFELONG FRIENDSHIP GOES INTO A DEATH SPIRAL

A 30-plus-year friendship between the Berhalters and Reynas frayed in the lead-up to the 2022 Men’s World Cup. As was reported, U.S. Soccer technical staff were not pleased with the quality of Gio Reyna’s training and general attitude. It reached the point where the staff held discussions about sending the younger Reyna home.

Berhalter and his staff were absolutely right to give Gio Reyna a path to work his way back into the team (that included an apology to his teammates). Tensions between Gio and Berhalter—and the two families—rose when Gio was left on the bench in the USMNT’s 1-1 draw with Wales.

Following the game, the Reynas refused to get on the same “friends and family” bus as the Berhalters, and Claudio Reyna began a text campaign with Stewart and former USMNT General Manager Brian McBride.

Mr. Stewart told us that during the 2022 FIFA World Cup, he and others received complaints via text message from Mr. Reyna. For example, Mr. Stewart received a text message from Mr. Reyna on November 21, 2022, after the USMNT’s first World Cup match against Wales, in which Gio Reyna did not play. Mr. Reyna texted Mr. Stewart: “What a complete and utter fucking joke. Our family is disgusted in case you are wondering. Disgusted at how a coach is allowed to never be challenged and do whatever he wants.”

Mr. McBride also explained that he and Mr. Stewart met with the Reynas on November 24, 2022, a day before the USMNT’s World Cup match against England. Mr. McBride said that the purpose of the meeting was to help the Reynas understand the decision about Gio Reyna’s playing time. Mr. McBride commented that such a meeting would not typically occur with parents of players, but they agreed to it as a courtesy to Mr. Reyna given their long friendship and history as former teammates. Mr. McBride informed us that, during the meeting, Mr. Reyna stated, “you guys don’t even know what we know about Gregg,” but offered no additional details.

This wasn’t the first time the elder Reyna sent a flurry of nastygrams to U.S. Soccer officials. Over the years he’s aired many grievances that officials described as “inappropriate,” “mean-spirited,” and “bullying.”

Mr. Reyna contacted a U.S. Soccer official in an attempt to overturn a red card that his son, Gio Reyna, received in a match. We also obtained an email that reflected this incident and described Mr. Reyna’s attempt to persuade a U.S. Soccer official to allow Gio Reyna to play instead of  sitting out the next match. We understand from the email that Mr. Reyna was told by a U.S. Soccer official at the time that the league had a consistent policy regarding red cards and did not review or overturn subjective referee decisions.

Somehow, it was not at all surprising to learn that some of his poison pen texts and emails had an extra helping of misogyny.

“EMOTIONAL AND ANGRY”

Danielle Reyna told Alston & Bird representatives that she told Stewart about the 1992 incident because she felt “very let down by U.S. Soccer,” which put her in a “very upset state,” when she spoke to Stewart.

Specifically, Mrs. Reyna said she brought up the incident to Mr. Stewart in their phone call on December 11th because Mr. Berhalter has put her in two situations where he hurt two people she “loved beyond words” and she “can’t believe a man has done that twice.”

Yes, she really did equate a domestic violence incident with her child getting called out for a poor attitude (and not getting the playing time she felt he deserved).

I get it. When your kid’s hurting, you’re hurting. But it seems to me that in a healthy parent-child-coach relationship—especially when your kid is an ADULT—you step back. You let your kid work it out with his manager. Because this has nothing to do with YOU.

You don’t reveal an incident from over 30 years ago where 1) no police report was filed; 2) the victim wasn’t injured; 3) your families have been friends ever since that incident; and 4) you admit you don’t think the coach is a threat to anyone.

WHERE DOES U.S. SOCCER GO FROM HERE?

The investigation concluded that there is no criminal liability for Gregg Berhalter for the 1992 incident. Nor did they find any violations of U.S. Soccer policies or SafeSport rules, and did not find that the Reynas’ conduct rose to the level of harassment. However, as a club “official,” the report states that Claudio Reyna may have violated FIFA regulations.

At this point, U.S. Soccer is all but obliged to cut ties with Claudio and Danielle Reyna. Although there seems to be no impediment to re-signing Gregg Berhalter to a new contract, it’s hard to envision a scenario where either party would want to continue the relationship.

This whole sordid tale is the perfect example of what happens when the supposed adults in the room project their own egos on young athletes, whether it’s their own kids or kids they’re coaching.

And what about Gio? His talent is undeniable, and since the World Cup, he has delivered late game-winning goals coming off the bench for his club, Borussia Dortmund. Hopefully, he will seek counsel from players who have his best interests at heart and who will consistently hold him accountable for his actions and his attitude. A Gio Reyna whose work rate matches his talent would be an amazing sight to behold.