The former USMNT star lobbied for the loan, which hasn’t worked out for his son
Gio Reyna’s ill-fated loan to Nottingham Forest came about at least partially due to the encouragement of his father Claudio Reyna, according to a report from ESPN.
Reyna left Borussia Dortmund at midseason in search of more playing time, but the U.S. men’s national team midfielder has not succeeded on that front.
Reyna has appeared in 10 games for Forest, starting just twice, and has played only 230 total minutes for the club.
The 21-year-old will return to Dortmund after this weekend’s final round of Premier League matches, having played the same limited role in England that he did in Germany prior to the loan.
That was not the plan back in the winter, as Reyna looked for a temporary switch to boost his minutes and confidence.
According to ESPN, Reyna’s former agency Wasserman was not initially in favor of sending the midfielder to England, but his father pushed for the move to Forest.
Around the time of his loan move, Reyna switched agents from Wasserman to Jorge Mendes, who has a lengthy history of ties with Nottingham Forest.
The report is confirmation that ex-USMNT star Claudio Reyna is still actively involved his son’s career, even after a major scandal that broke last year — though advocating for a loan move is certainly a more conventional method of involvement than what was revealed in an investigation last year.
U.S. Soccer’s independent investigation concluded that Reyna had a “pattern of periodic outreach” to U.S. Soccer officials from 2016 through the end of 2022, which included attempts to influence federation decisions.
Most notably, Claudio Reyna and his wife Danielle leaked information to U.S. Soccer about a domestic violence incident involving USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter in retaliation for Berhalter’s treatment of Gio Reyna during the 2022 World Cup.
U.S. Soccer will have to navigate some real thorny issues if it brings the coach back
Last week couldn’t have gone much better for Gregg Berhalter.
The now-former-and-maybe-future U.S. men’s national team head coach got quite the one-two punch of good news: First U.S. Soccer’s independent investigation found that Berhalter and his wife Rosalind were forthcoming about the details of a 1992 domestic violence incident, and there was no reason to believe any further instances had occurred.
U.S. Soccer concluded that Berhalter “remains a candidate to serve as head coach of the men’s national team.”
But there can be a big gulf between “remains a candidate” and “actually has a shot.” That gap, though, was significantly shortened after an interview Christian Pulisic gave to ESPN.
After calling the affair involving Claudio and Danielle Reyna “childish,” Pulisic was asked if he’d be comfortable with Berhalter getting his old job back.
“Yeah, no doubt, no doubt about it,” he said. “I think the strides that we’ve taken in recent years with him in charge, have been evident. I think it’s quite clear.”
Being cleared by an investigation is one thing, but seeing your normally reticent star give such a clear and public backing will give U.S. Soccer something to chew on.
But there are still quite a few steps before Berhalter gets his old job back. First and foremost, the person who will hire the new (or old) USMNT coach isn’t even in place yet.
U.S. Soccer has said interviews for its sporting director position are underway, with the hope that Earnie Stewart’s replacement is in place before the World Cup kicks off in July.
That would put U.S. Soccer right on its previously stated timeline of hiring a new USMNT coach by summer’s end. That is roughly as far from now as the USMNT’s pre-World Cup friendlies against Japan and Saudi Arabia. In other words: a while!
And much could happen in that span of time, most plausibly Berhalter being offered a different job.
Berhalter’s resume could make him intriguing to clubs in Europe: a lengthy playing career in the Netherlands and Germany as well as experience coaching in Europe with Hammarby. He would also, of course, be an appealing candidate for an ambitious MLS club.
Assuming Berhalter isn’t spoken for by the time U.S. Soccer actually gets around to choosing a coach, there are still potential pitfalls to a theoretical reappointment.
Beasley, of course, isn’t in that locker room anymore, but he may talk to people that are. In any case, U.S. Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone said this weekend that USMNT players will be consulted on the hire. One wonders if Gio Reyna would be one of them.
The second issue is even more substantial, and will demand serious introspection from all parties. Yes, it’s about that 1992 incident.
U.S. Soccer’s independent investigation “cleared” Berhalter as much as it could have, but it’s hard to really declare victory when the underlying issue involves a confirmed case of domestic violence.
Should Berhalter emerge as a serious candidate by the summer, U.S. Soccer will have to ask itself an extremely thorny question: Does it want the leader of its national team on the biggest stage possible, a home World Cup, to have anything but a spotless record?
Yes, it was a drunken argument between teenagers, and Berhalter’s behavior since that moment appears to have been exemplary. But: it happened.
Excluding Berhalter on the basis of that moment feels unsettling, in part because it would give Claudio and Danielle Reyna what they wanted. But it would be pretty much the definition of Pyrrhic victory.
Berhalter certainly has options now. But, despite his very good week, there is a long way before coaching the USMNT again is one of them.
Christian Pulisic has spoken out about the controversy that has embroiled the U.S. men’s national team since the World Cup, expressing his frustration with the “childish” behavior of the Reyna family.
U.S. Soccer released the results of an independent investigation this week, which detailed years of meddling by Danielle and Claudio Reyna on behalf of their son Gio. The report included details of the Reynas’ now-infamous revelation of a 1992 domestic violence incident involving Gregg Berhalter to U.S. Soccer officials.
The investigation also revealed that Berhalter, now out of contract, was forthcoming about the 1992 incident, which led U.S. Soccer to declare that he is still a candidate for another term at the helm of the USMNT.
Pulisic, often guarded with the media, showed his irritation with the entire series of events while also offering his backing to Berhalter.
“I’m not here to appoint the next manager — it’s not my job — and whoever it is I’m going to play and give it 100%,” Pulisic told ESPN in an interview.
“Everything that happened with Gregg, first of all, has been handled in an extremely childish manner. I think we’ve seen what’s been going on. I think it’s childish, it’s youth soccer, people complaining about playing time. I don’t want to go too far into that, but I think Gregg has been extremely unfortunate to get into the position he is in now.”
Pulisic was obviously referring to Danielle and Claudio Reyna when using the term “childish” but was he talking about Gio Reyna too? That isn’t as clear, but it’s worth remembering that the Dortmund star’s complaints over his reduced role at the World Cup precipitated much of the subsequent imbroglio.
The Chelsea winger nearly went as far as endorsing Berhalter for another tenure at the helm of the USMNT, saying he is hopeful the team can build off the positives from the 2022 World Cup.
“Do I feel like we should just wait and wait? I don’t think it’s necessary, because we are not in a phase like we were after not qualifying [for the 2018 World Cup] where we needed a complete rebuild,” Pulisic said.
“We don’t need a bunch of new guys coming in. We have a strong core in my opinion — people have seen that and we need to carry on with that,” he added. “It’s a tough one for me because we should continue that as soon as we can and build off this World Cup, which I think had a lot of positives in it. We want to get going with that as soon as we can.”
Much of the information in U.S. Soccer’s report wasn’t really a surprise. But this was out of nowhere
Though some of the details were ugly, most of what was revealed in U.S. Soccer’s investigation into l’affaire Reyna-Berhalter wasn’t all that shocking.
We already knew Claudio and Danielle Reyna had given U.S. Soccer dirt on Gregg Berhalter in an effort to see him ousted. We already knew the couple were furious with the USMNT coach and their former close friend over his treatment of their son Gio. We didn’t know the extent of the couple’s meddling or the exact words they used to threaten and harass, but the framework was already in place.
But there was one element in the 40-page report that stood out. This was truly new information.
In an email in 2018, Claudio said of a game Gio played in: “Field, referee everything!! So embarrassing all the way around.”
He followed up: “And in all honest [sic] can we get real and have male refs for a game like this. Its embarrassing guys. What are we trying to prove? A game like this deserves bett[e]r attention.”
This was truly stunning, but also instructive. How many other authority figures in the game would write something similar if they knew their email wouldn’t end up publicized in an investigation?
On the basis of sex. There’s no room in this beautiful game for toxicity. It’s been difficult for women referees historically because we weren’t judged on abilities but gender when stepping onto the pitch. The pitch is an equalizing field. There’s no room for discrimination. https://t.co/MOkha4Ch1hpic.twitter.com/2ZUrw47inv
Mr. Reyna’s sexist & misogynistic comments about female referees are deplorable. The PSRA considers his actions disqualifying for employment in MLS & beyond. MLS cannot provide a haven for Mr. Reyna’s opinions while also celebrating the quality & diversity of its own Officials. pic.twitter.com/MHGmaUY8X4
For Reyna himself, the comments are going to make it much tougher to re-enter any kind of polite soccer society. All of his previously known behavior, ugly as it was, was under the (admittedly broad) auspices of protecting his son.
This, however, was just a sexist cheap shot.
Where does Reyna go from here? Austin FC announced in January that Reyna would be moving from sporting director to a “technical advisor role,” allowing him to stay with the club in a reduced capacity.
When his contract expires with the MLS club, Reyna may find it tough to obtain high-level employment in the sport. In other words, he’ll be in the same position so many of the female officials he decries have occupied for far too long.
The ex-USMNT boss said he wouldn’t necessarily return to his old job if it were offered
Gregg Berhalter is happy with the results of U.S. Soccer’s recently concluded independent investigation, saying he now has options as he looks to continue his coaching career.
U.S. Soccer released the results of the long-awaited investigation on Monday, which concluded that Berhalter and his wife Rosalind were forthcoming about the details of a 1992 domestic violence incident, and that there was no reason to believe any further incidents had taken place.
The investigation, conducted by Alston & Bird, did not offer such a positive conclusion for Danielle and Claudio Reyna, saying the couple had meddled in U.S. Soccer affairs for years, including their decision to disclose the 1992 incident to federation leadership as retaliation for Berhalter’s treatment of their son Gio.
Berhalter said it hasn’t been easy navigating the situation, which has seen a longtime friendship between the two couples dissolve instantly.
“I would just say it’s a sad situation,” Berhalter told The Telegraph. “We are talking about people you have known for over three decades. It’s sad and it’s in some way traumatic. But it’s something you have to deal with.”
On the subject of his coaching future, the 49-year-old was much more optimistic.
Berhalter’s contract as U.S. men’s national team coach expired at the end of 2022. Anthony Hudson is currently leading the team on an interim basis with U.S. Soccer first seeking to hire a sporting director, and then lock down a USMNT coach.
Following the release of the investigation, U.S. Soccer said that Berhalter remained a candidate for the job.
But Berhalter has admitted he is looking into all of his options, even hinting he wouldn’t necessarily accept an offer to return to his old role if it were presented.
“I guess what it [the USSF report] does is it means there are options,” Berhalter said. “That I would still be in consideration — nothing is going to exclude me from being part of that process and there are other processes that are happening also.
“After the work that has been done, that is what is right. Whether it is offered or not — or I take it or not — that’s a completely different story. To not be part of the process would be difficult. Because of the achievements of the team and how much the team has grown over the last four years.”
Some ugly behavior by Claudio and Danielle Reyna is documented in the independent report
U.S. Soccer has concluded an independent investigation into the dramatic affair involving Gregg Berhalter, his wife and the couple’s former close friends Claudio and Danielle Reyna.
The investigation, conducted by Alston & Bird, has concluded that Berhalter and his wife Rosalind were forthcoming about the details of a 1992 incident of domestic violence, and that the firm had no reason to believe any further incidents had taken place between the couple.
The couple eventually reconciled, married and had four children. They are still together today.
Of Berhalter, whose contract as U.S. men’s national team head coach expired at the end of 2022, U.S. Soccer said: “Given the investigators’ conclusion that there is no legal impediment to employing him, Gregg Berhalter remains a candidate to serve as head coach of the men’s national team.”
On the other hand, the report took a much dimmer view of the Reynas, saying the couple did not cooperate with the investigation and have been actively meddling into U.S. Soccer and the U.S. men’s national team for years — mostly looking to benefit their son Gio Reyna.
The Berhalter-Reyna affair exploded into public view in January, when Danielle Reyna admitted she had leaked information about the 1992 domestic violence incident to U.S. Soccer as retaliation for Berhalter not playing her son more at the World Cup, and then revealing details of the player’s poor attitude in Qatar that nearly led to him being sent home.
Amid the extremely public and messy affair, U.S. Soccer brought in Alston & Bird to conduct an independent investigation into the domestic violence incident, as well as any possible wrongdoing by the Reynas.
The investigation noted it did not consider the Reynas’ behavior to be blackmail, nor did it violate U.S. Soccer policies.
But the results were still stunning, painting an ugly picture of one of the most prominent families in American soccer history. Here are several incidents involving the Reynas documented within the report.
Welcome to FTW Explains, a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. Are you wondering about the drama involving U.S. men’s national team head coach Gregg Berhalter and the Reyna family? We’re here to help.
The USMNT’s run at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar ended with a Round of 16 loss to the Netherlands. And one of the major talking points around the USMNT concerned Berhalter’s usage — or lack thereof — of Gio Reyna. The talented 20-year-old from Borussia Dortmund did not start a single match in Qatar and only appeared in three matches on limited minutes.
The context around that decision took a major turn on Wednesday. Let’s break down what we know so far.
Watch Bayern take on Frankfurt live today by streaming all the action right here.
Bundesliga is back for their second week in a row with a bevy of games on the slate this weekend. One of them is the fan-favorite Bayern Munich taking on Frankfurt today.
Bayern will look to move another step further to winning their eighth Bundesliga title when they will be hosting Frankfurt.
Bayern was not in top form when they played Union Berlin last week, given the two months off it may take some time for the team to get back to full strength. Frankfurt is looking to get back on track after losing their last three games and will have a tough one today against league-leading Bayern.
Eintracht Frankfurt possible starting lineup: Trapp; Toure, Abraham, Hinteregger, N’Dicka; Ilsanker, Rode; Chandler, Kamada, Kostic; Dost
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