Football: Berhalter wants to stay on as US coach despite recent turmoil
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US coach Gregg Berhalter after his team were eliminated by the Netherlands in the World Cup round of 16.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LOS ANGELES – Gregg Berhalter hopes US Soccer will keep him on as head coach of the men’s team, despite an ongoing investigation into a domestic violence incident that occurred between him and his now-wife 31 years ago.
His remarks, on Thursday, came one day after it was reported that Danielle Reyna, the mother of US midfielder Gio Reyna, had informed the federation of the 1991 episode after she became frustrated with Berhalter criticising her son after the World Cup.
“When we started in 2018, we wanted to change the way the world views American soccer,” Berhalter, whose contract with the team expired on Dec 31, said in an interview with the Harvard Business Review.
“And I think when you ask around the world now about our team, the world sees us in a complete different light.
“But now it’s about being able to take that next step, and that next step is doing something that no US team has ever done and that’s get to the semi-finals and see what happens from there.
“So there’s a lot of great challenges involved and of course I’d like to continue my role.”
Berhalter told a conference after returning from Qatar that a player on the team was “clearly not meeting expectations on and off the field” and that he had considered sending that player home.
Gio Reyna, 20, later confirmed in an Instagram post that Berhalter was talking about him.
Gio is the son of Claudio Reyna, who played alongside Berhalter for the US team at the 2002 World Cup and is now sporting director for MLS (Major League Soccer) side Austin FC.
Berhalter said he and his wife of 25 years Rosalind had moved on from the incident where he kicked her legs amid an argument outside of a bar. He was then an 18-year-old college student and was sad to have it come up so publicly now.
“The events of that night 31 years ago and the lessons learnt from that set the foundation for our relationship moving forward,” he said.
“And it’s a loving relationship, a devoted relationship and we have four amazing kids to show for it.”
Berhalter led the squad to the round of 16 of the World Cup in Qatar where they were knocked out by the Netherlands.
The federation on Wednesday said current assistant coach Anthony Hudson would lead the team during their January camp, while a “technical review” of the men’s national team programme was conducted. REUTERS
