USA defenders DeAndre Yedlin and Walker Zimmerman back coach Gregg Berhalter

National team defenders DeAndre Yedlin and Walker Zimmerman praised coach Gregg Berhalter for rallying the Americans during the World Cup in Qatar, despite the fact that he is currently under investigation by US Soccer.

Yedlin and Zimmerman said they understand there could be uncertainty about the team’s leadership structure for a while as Berhalter is under investigation for a 1991 incident during which he kicked his future wife in the legs.

Berhalter said in a statement last week that he was attacked by a third party who wanted to “knock him down” when he admitted to kicking his now-wife Rosalind when he was 18.

United States head coach Gregg Berhalter has been endorsed by two of his World Cup defenders.

DeAndre Yedlin told reporters that he thinks Berhalter is a “great head coach” on Tuesday.

“I think Gregg is a great head coach, I think he did a great job bringing us all together and really making sure we were all striving for the same goal,” Yedlin said Tuesday at MLS media day.

“Obviously, we all know that certain things are going on, and again, some of those decisions are not up to me. He is a great coach and I really enjoyed working with him.

The US Soccer Federation said last week that it learned of the accusation against Berhalter on December 11 and hired the Alston & Bird law firm to investigate. The federation said Berhalter and her wife Rosalind had “talked openly” about the matter, and Berhalter admitted to kicking her during an argument after a night of drinking in 1991 before they were married.

Berhalter went public that he kicked his wife Rosalind (left) during an argument in 1991

Danielle Reyna (pictured left with her husband and former US player Caludio Reyna), Gio Reyna’s mother, admitted last week to sharing information about the incident with US officials.

Last week he issued a statement calling his behavior “a shameful moment and one I regret to this day” and said he was “looking forward to continuing my discussions with US Soccer about the future.”

Danielle Reyna, the mother of US player Gio Reyna, admitted last week to sharing information about the incident with US officials on December 11 after Berhalter detailed at a leadership conference how an anonymous player (later confirmed as Reyna) was nearly killed. sent home from Qatar due to not ‘meeting expectations’.

Former United States captain Claudio Reyna also threatened to share details of Berhalter’s past during the tournament, according to ESPN.

Anthony Hudson is serving as interim coach while Berhalter is under investigation.

Although US Soccer has stated that they will wait until the investigation into Berhalter is complete to decide his future, the team reportedly offered the job to Zinedine Zidane, who turned down the offer.

Zinedine Zidane reportedly turned down the chance to manage the US national team.

Walker Zimmerman also praised Berhalter’s work with the team during the 2022 World Cup.

Yedlin controls the ball during the FIFA World Cup Group B match between the United States and Wales

The Americans were knocked out in the round of 16 in Qatar with a 3-1 loss to the Netherlands, the same result for the team as at the 2010 and 2014 World Cups.

‘Gregg has done a great job for the national team. I think the record speaks for itself,” Zimmerman said. “Obviously we wish we could have gone further in Qatar. I know he wishes that too. I think he did a very good job creating a team culture and chemistry that was impressive. He’s handled a lot of things very, very well. So, yeah, we’ll see what happens.

Berhalter has said he would like to coach the national team until the 2026 World Cup, which the United States will co-host.

Yedlin likes the chances for the Americans to play at home.

“You go to any World Cup and ask the host country if it would be a unique opportunity to win and of course it would be,” he said. “I think especially for this era of US Soccer. I think we have a very good opportunity with the players that are in the pool and the players that come into the pool. It’s an incredible group of players.