Sports

Former USMNT Star Reyna Outed As Person Who Tried To Blackmail Gregg Berhalter – UPDATED

#USMNT
by Last Updated
Gregg Berhalter

Getty Image


The US soccer world was stunned on Tuesday when news surfaced that someone from the ‘outside’ had tried to blackmail USMNT manager Gregg Berhalter.

It was soon revealed that the blackmailing scheme revolved around a domestic incident between Gregg Berhalter and his wife Rosalind, an incident that occurred 31 years ago.

On Wednesday, it was revealed that former USMNT star and former USMNT captain Claudio Reyna was the figure behind the alleged blackmailing scheme.

Jeff Carlisle and Kyle Bonagura of ESPN FC are reporting that former USMNT captain Claudio Reyna, who earned 112 caps for the United States Men’s National Team between 1994 and 2006, “sent multiple messages to U.S. Soccer executives during the World Cup threatening to reveal sensitive details about USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter‘s past.”

Here’s where things get interesting… Gio Reyna, one of the UMSNT’s best players and brightest stars, was basically blackballed at the 2022 World Cup by Gregg Berhalter. Gio Reyna is the son of Claudio Reyna it’s possible that there was retribution/revenge at play on both sides of this fiasco.

ESPN reports:

Former United States men’s national team captain Claudio Reyna sent multiple messages to U.S. Soccer executives during the World Cup threatening to reveal sensitive details about USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter’s past, multiple sources told ESPN. The messages began after his son, Gio Reyna, was informed he would have a limited role at the tournament.

U.S. Soccer did not receive any details about the claims until Dec. 11, when an executive was informed in a call with Claudio Reyna and his wife, Danielle, that Berhalter, 49, had a past domestic violence incident, sources told ESPN.

UPDATE on Gregg Berhalter / Claudio Reyna / Daniell Reyna Situation

Interestingly, ESPN updated their headline a while after publishing. It now reads “Danielle Reyna told U.S. Soccer about past Gregg Berhalter domestic violence incident” and is no longer placing the blame squarely on Claudio.

Danielle Reyna has since released this statement:

Claudio Reyna is currently the Sporting Director at MLS club Austin FC. Gregg Berhalter’s contract as manager of the United States Men’s National Team expired days ago, on December 31st. And Gio Reyna is currently playing for Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund.

It is hard to imagine what Gregg Berhalter and Claudio Reyna’s futures look like with the USMNT after this but hopefully none of the backstabbing will fall on Gio Reyna and taint his USMNT future.

Here is the statement Gregg Berhalter released on Tuesday:

Claudio Reyna is a member of the US National Soccer Hall of Fame. He was inducted in 2012. He was present at the World Cup closing ceremonies as part of President Biden’s presidential delegation.

Soccer Media Melts Down Over Claudio Reyna Revelation

This story is truly bonkers:

We sure are!

The UMSNT has never seen drama like this before:

Are we though?

Ultimately, this is what it all comes down to:

It’s unclear what happens next for Gregg Berhalter, Claudio Reyna, and the UMSNT after this weird scandal.

Cass Anderson BroBible headshot and avatar
Cass Anderson is the Editor-in-Chief of BroBible and a graduate from Florida State University with nearly two decades of expertise in writing about Professional Sports, Fishing, Outdoors, Memes, Bourbon, Offbeat and Weird News, and as a native Floridian he shares his unique perspective on Florida News. You can reach Cass at cass@brobible.com
Tags