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Like everyone, I am truly shocked and surprised by what has happened between Gregg Berhalter and Claudio Reyna. I played with both, I know them both. They were the best of friends, their families were great friends.
Things just got crazy and out of control. I don’t understand what happened to these two. I’ve talked to friends, teammates, they’re all the same, the answer is just ‘wow’. I know both families well: Gregg and Rosalind have lovely children, a loving marriage and a fantastic life together. And the same for Claudio and Danielle and their children.
I remember the camps in the USA where we all played. They weren’t very exclusive, but you naturally hung out with people from the same area as you. The UCLA guys would come in and hang out together. I would stay with Joe Max-Moore. Claudio and Gregg came from Jersey, they went to different universities but they knew each other. If there was a day off to go out for lunch or whatever, it would be those two and their families. They were just great friends.
US Soccer has an investigation and I think they will find out the timeline of each message, each text and then we can know who is right, who is wrong or if both are wrong.
Brad Friedel has spoken of the hope that Gregg Berhalter and Claudio Reyna can repair their friendship.
The unraveling of a decade-long friendship between the two families ultimately stems from Berhalter (right) choosing not to play much with Gio Reyna at the World Cup in Qatar.
Friedel (top left) played alongside Berhalter (top row, third left) and Reyna (bottom row left) for many years with the United States national team.
And when we think about what happened here and what could have happened at the World Cup, we have to acknowledge that an open line of communication with the head coach, as a parent of a player, is not normal, but it is for those two. . Those guys would have talked all the time, just as friends.
It’s unique. What’s even more extreme is that very rarely do you have two best friends, one of their sons is one of the best players in the United States and the other is the coach.
But I’m the type of person who doesn’t want to live in the past. I’m trying to find ways for everyone to move forward. People will probably think I’m crazy, but I really hope they can sit down and rectify it.
Reyna (No. 10) and Berhalter (No. 3) were ‘great friends’ during their time on Team USA.
I think they’ve had too many good years together and yes, some bad things have been said, but I hope they can put things right. I really do. From what I know of them, their families were too close for this to happen.
I think Anthony Precourt, the owner of Austin, might have a role to play. He has very good relationships with both people, one whom he currently employs as a sports director at Claudio and another that he has hired in the past at Gregg, as Columbus’ coach.
Anthony is a gentleman, he is a very nice guy and very humble. I’ve seen him several times, when I was one of the final candidates before he hired Gregg for the Columbus jobs.
But he’s in a powerful position and if you look at what he’s done now in Austin and previously with Columbus, he knows a thing or two about leadership. While I’m sure Anthony didn’t want any of this on his lap, nor did he cause it or have anything to do with it, being the gentleman that he is, perhaps he can help the situation.
Austin FC owner Anthony Precourt has close ties to coach Berhalter and Reyna.
Berhalter (second right) was previously hired by Precourt (left) while in Columbus
Precourt (left) has now hired Reyna (second left) as sports director with Austin FC
What US Soccer does from here, I don’t know. Maybe they don’t want the excess noise and push everyone aside and take a new path. This all comes at an unfortunate time when they were reviewing whether to keep Gregg for another four-year cycle, as many federations are doing after the World Cup in Qatar.
One of the big questions US Soccer could have for Gregg is what things might look like with Gio Reyna in the future. Gio is one of our best players. Whoever the coach is, if Gio is fit and playing at the level he can, he is called up to the squad.
In Qatar, Gio made a mistake by dropping his concentration. He’s a young player, he’s an incredibly talented player and he’s one US Soccer needs for the future. He will be called to every camp in the US that he is fit to go on for.
I think Gregg said that he shouldn’t have made the comments after the World Cup to the group he was speaking to, when he alluded to Reyna’s disappointment. I don’t think this is a situation where he’s saying it’s not her fault.
One question US Soccer faces about Berhalter is what things might look like with Gio Reyna in the future.
But the players who start and those who don’t are team decisions. They must be left at home. In every team, there are always one or two annoying players who can’t play. This is one of those times it got out of hand.
Would he have said something like Gio did? I don’t know, but it’s different when you get into these things. I guess now Gio will focus on club soccer, he will keep his head down and be a big part of US Soccer moving forward.
Time is important to Gregg and Claudio, but US Soccer may not have that time to make a decision in front of the head coach. I think family and friendship is a little more important than work.
Both were exceptionally gifted players, they have excelled in their roles as head coaches and sports directors. It would be a shame if this is what people remember them instead of what they accomplished in their field.