Former Sunderland star Claudio Reyna and his family are at the centre of an extraordinary row that has led to US Soccer investigating claims of a domestic violence incident made against national team head coach Gregg Berhalter. The feud stems from the fact that Reyna's son Gio - who was born in Sunderland in 2002 during his father's 20-month stint with the Black Cats - played just 52 minutes of football under Berhalter in the World Cup in Qatar, despite the Borussia Dortmund midfielder having been tipped to make a major impact in the tournament.
During the tournament, Berhalter said that an unnamed player had displayed a lack of commitment and a poor attitude, and the players had held a vote to decide whether he should remain with the squad in Qatar - with his teammates deciding by a single vote that he should stay. Gio Reyna later confirmed that he was the player whose fate was decided by the vote.
This week the situation took an unexpected twist when Berhalter made a statement saying that during the World Cup an unnamed individual had tried to 'take him down', by reporting a domestic violence incident between him and his then-girlfriend - and now wife of 25 years Rosalind - that took place in 1991, to US Soccer and effectively implied that he was being blackmailed. Berhalter's statement said: "During the World Cup an individual contacted U.S. Soccer, saying that they had information about me that would 'take me down' - an apparent effort to leverage something very personal from long ago to bring about the end of my relationship with U.S. Soccer.
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"In the fall of 1991, I met my soulmate. I had just turned 18 and was a freshman in college when I met Rosalind. 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.
"The lessons learned from that night over three decades ago became the foundation for a loving, devoted, and supportive relationship, which we honoured and celebrated with our 25th wedding anniversary this past weekend."
Since then Claudio Reyna's wife and Gio's mother Danielle, who is a former USWNT player and was Rosalind Berhalter's college roommate and teammate, has come forward to confirm that she reported the matter to US Soccer sporting director Earnie Stewart. And US Soccer has responded by launching an investigation, and in the meantime Berhalter will be absent from the USA team's training camp in California later this month, with his assistant Anthony Hudson asked by Stewart to oversee the get-together as acting head coach.
Danielle Reyna said in a statement: "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.
"It took a long time for me to forgive and accept Gregg afterward, but I worked hard to give him grace, and ultimately made both of them and their kids a huge part of my family's life. I would have wanted and expected him to give the same grace to Gio.
"This is why the current situation is so very hurtful and hard. At the time I called Earnie, many people were trashing Gio on social media due to Gregg's comments, and I didn't know when or if this would stop.
"I just wanted Earnie to help make sure that there would be no further unwarranted attacks on my son. I thought our conversation would remain in confidence, and it didn't occur to me at the time that anything I said could lead to an investigation. I'm not criticizing Earnie here. I very much commend the recent efforts by U.S. Soccer to address abuse of women players, and I understand now he had an obligation to investigate what I shared.
"But I want to be very clear that I did not ask for Gregg to be fired, I did not make any threats, and I don't know anything about any blackmail attempts, nor have I ever had any discussions about anyone else on Gregg's staff - I don't know any of the other coaches. I did not communicate with anyone in U.S. Soccer about this matter before December 11, and no one else in my family has made any statements to U.S. Soccer regarding Gregg's past at all.
"I'm sorry that this information became public, and I regret that I played a role in something that could reopen wounds from the past."
Claudio Reyna, who was an international teammate of Gregg Berhalter, has also spoken out in support of his wife, and also denied reports that he sent messages to national team representatives threatening to reveal details about Berhalter's past. He said: "I support my wife, Danielle, and her statement.
"I too was upset by Gregg's comments about Gio after the U.S. was out of the World Cup, and I also appealed to Earnie Stewart on December 11 asking him to prevent any additional comments. While in Qatar, I shared my frustrations about my son's World Cup experience with a number of close friends, Earnie and Brian McBride among them.
"However, at no time did I ever threaten anyone, nor would I ever do so."
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