American football is a non-stop public relations nightmare.
The USA women’s team went from being arguably America’s most beloved athletes to being hated by half the country via excessive politicization that led to polarization (but made them pay more).
Now Claudio and Danielle Reyna treat the United States Soccer Federation like your local school board.
Claudio Reyna is a former United States Men’s National Team player. His son Gio was part of the national team at the recent World Cup. Gio, 20, has barely played in Qatar, training in a tank and donning boo-boo face due to his diminished role.
So Gio’s mother, Danielle, did what a typical psychopathic Little League parent would do: she tried to get the coach fired.
Danielle provided the USSF with information about a 1991 incident in which US coach Gregg Berhalter kicked his now wife, Rosalind, during a public argument. Gregg and Rosalind were 18 years old.
The USSF is investigating. Let me save them the trouble: the Berhalters have been married for 25 years and have four children. Their relationship has no documentation of abuse since 1991. That should be the entirety of the investigation.
Danielle Reyna isn’t worried about Rosalind Berhalter. Danielle has known about this incident since 1991. She and Rosalind were roommates at the University of North Carolina. Danielle didn’t tell the USSF about it until after her son was seconded to the World Cup. Danielle’s intention was to harm Gregg’s career.
It was revenge.
This idiocy has other layers. Claudio and Gregg grew up together in New Jersey. Both represented the United States at the 2002 World Cup, helping the team reach the quarter-finals. Claudio and Gregg were close. Have been.
Gregg is not a coaching wizard. His hiring smacks of nepotism, with his brother Jay holding a leadership position within the USSF and playing a key role in the process. The underutilization of Gio Reyna seemed inexplicable, with Gio being a rare American-born creative force as opposed to a paint-by-numbers robot. Gio should have played more.
Gregg lied about Gio’s injury in Qatar. Gio was unhurt and didn’t want to play the game.
After the World Cup, Gregg spoke about Gio’s World Cup apathy, omitting his name but making it easy to understand, like everyone else has. The Reynas have certainly pieced things together.
So Danielle Reyna ran off to the USSF.
The timeline is easier to follow realizing that everyone involved is a complete idiot.
Claudio and Danielle Reyna are the worst stage parents and have somehow managed to apply that to the highest level of football. Gio Reyna is a whiny baby. Gregg Berhalter got his job because he was related to someone.
Embarrassing sly antics are nothing new in American football: the men’s team kicked out captain John Harkes two months before the 1998 World Cup because Harkes was sleeping with teammate Eric Wynalda’s wife.
Never mind: American men’s soccer will never be good because the best American male athletes play other sports. American women’s soccer will always be good because this program is a huge step ahead of the rest of the world.
But it’s annoying.
Now the USSF has a dead-end decision to make: Gregg Berhalter’s contract expired on December 21. 31. Will he keep his job? Deliberations are ongoing.
Berhalter really isn’t a good coach and probably shouldn’t have been hired in the first place.
But if he is not retained, it seems that the Reynas have had him fired and they are running the program. Those optics multiply if the new manager makes Gio a starter.
The whole episode is nasty and stupid. This makes it difficult to be a fan of American men’s soccer and has made the team a laughing stock internationally.
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