U.S. star Pulisic feels for Berhalter after 'childish' feud with Reynas
United States forward Christian Pulisic showed compassion for former U.S. head coach Gregg Berhalter on Thursday after branding the controversy surrounding his use of midfielder Gio Reyna at the 2022 World Cup as "childish."
Earlier this week, a law firm hired by the U.S. Soccer Federation completed an independent investigation into a domestic incident the Reyna family recently brought to light regarding Berhalter and his wife of 25 years. Investigators found that Berhalter was truthful about the allegation of domestic violence, which dates back to 1992, and that he wasn't at risk of prosecution because the statute of limitations had passed.
The firm also determined Claudio Reyna, father of U.S. midfielder Gio and a former teammate of Berhalter's, had attempted to gain preferential treatment for his son and that he wasn't cooperative with the investigation.
"Everything that happened with Gregg, first of all, has been handled in an extremely childish manner," Pulisic told ESPN's Graham Hunter. "I think we've seen what's been going on. I think it's childish; it's youth soccer, people complaining about playing time. I don't want to go too far into that, but I think Gregg has been extremely unfortunate to get into the position he is in now."
Investigators said the Reynas complained about their son's lack of playing time at the World Cup and made U.S. Soccer aware of the 1992 incident after that. The coaching staff nearly sent Gio Reyna home midway through the tournament because of a lack of effort in training but ended up keeping him as a part of the squad until the U.S. was eliminated in the round of 16.
Reyna made just two appearances off the bench.
Despite the controversy, Berhalter remains a candidate to continue as head coach of the national team. His last contract expired on Dec. 31.
In the meantime, Anthony Hudson, Berhalter's former assistant, has taken interim charge of the national team. Hudson included Reyna in his 24-man squad to face Grenada and El Salvador on March 24 and 27.