Gregg Berhalter IS a candidate to return as USMNT coach, says new US soccer director Matt Crocker and praises his ‘fantastic job’ in first tenure before Gio Reyna scandal erupted
Matt Crocker, the new USMNT sporting director, has revealed that Gregg Berhalter is a candidate to return for the head coaching vacancy despite his tenure ending after the Gio Reyna scandal erupted following the 2022 World Cup.
Asked if Berhalter could come back after the U.S. Soccer Federation concluded in March that there is no legal impediment to reemploy the ex-Columbus Crew coach, following blackmail claims revealed by the Reyna family that he kicked his wife in 1991, Crocker, who’s unveiling in his new role took place on Tuesday, said: ‘Yes, of course.’
‘We want to make sure we identify the right candidate to take us forward into 2026,’ he further told CNN on Wednesday: ‘My job is to make sure we have a really robust process to chose the right head coach going forward.’
Berhalter’s contract with the federation expired in December after the U.S. lost to the Dutch in the round of 16 in Qatar. Less than a month later, the 49-year-old was said to have kicked his wife, Rosalind, when they were both students at the University of North Carolina, 32 years ago.
Berhalter issued a statement confirming the incident in January. It was later revealed that it was Reyna’s mother, Danielle, who contacted the U.S. Soccer Federation about the event ‘because she was frustrated by comments made about her son after the team’s elimination from the 2022 World Cup.’
U.S. Soccer Federation Sporting Director Matt Crocker was unveiled in his new role on Tuesday
More to follow…
