Gregg Berhalter wants to continue as US men’s head coach but feels “saddened” by the emergence of revelations he kicked his wife during an argument in 1991 when they were teenagers.
The 49-year-old is under investigation by US soccer after admitting his role in the incident.
The mother of US midfielder Giovanni Reyna said she reported Berhalter over the incident on 11 December, 2022.
“Our entire family is saddened by these events,” said Berhalter.
Speaking to the Harvard Business Review, he added: “I think the worst part of it for me is my heart aches for my wife, because it was her story to tell, if she chose to or not. It just really, really saddens me.
“But it’s moving forward and that’s the way we have to look at it together as a family. The family’s been amazing and has taken it one day at a time and moving forward.”
Berhalter, whose contract expired at the end of December. took the US to the last-16 at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar where they were beaten by the Netherlands.
The US will co-host the next Word Cup with Mexico and Canada in 2026.
Current assistant coach Anthony Hudson is taking charge of the US’ January camp while a “technical review” of the men’s national team program is conducted.
Berhalter added: “When we started in 2018, we wanted to change the way the world views American soccer. I think when you ask around the world now about our team, the world sees us in a completely 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. There’s a lot of great challenges involved, and of course I’d like to continue in my role.”
How has the controversy unravelled?
Berhalter released a statement with wife Rosalind on Wednesday, 4 January, sharing details of the incident after an allegation was made against him.
He said he had been contacted during the World Cup by someone saying they were going to ‘take him down’.
In a statement on Wednesday, Danielle Reyna, wife of former US captain Claudio, says she reported the incident to US Soccer. She said it was “unfair” that “people were trashing” her son, 20, when Berhalter had done something “much worse” at a similar age.
Borussia Dortmund player Reyna did not start a match for the US during last year’s World Cup.
During a speech at a leadership summit in early December, Berhalter said an unnamed player was nearly sent home from Qatar for “not meeting expectations on and off the field”.
Berhalter believed his comments would remain private but after they were erroneously permitted to be published, Reyna posted on Instagram that he was told by the coach that his role at the tournament would be “very limited” and that he let it affect his “training and behaviour”.
He added that he had apologised to his team-mates and Berhalter.
Danielle, who won six caps for the US women’s national team and was the room-mate of Rosalind, said she “did not make any threats” when reporting the incident to US Soccer sporting director Earnie Stewart.
