The US men’s soccer team announced Friday that it will rehire Greg Verhalter as head coach ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
The move ended a whirlwind few months for the 49-year-old Verhalter, who led the USA men’s team to the last 16 at the Qatar World Cup, but did not renew his contract after the tournament.
Instead, United States Soccer said it had launched an independent investigation into the conduct of Verhalter after his parents accused him of physically abusing his wife Rosalind in an incident 30 years ago. bottom. university student. The Barhals, who remain married to this day, reconciled shortly after the incident and have spoken openly about the incident after the charges were filed earlier this year.
The investigation was sparked by information from the parents of US international forward Gio Reyna, who told US Soccer about the details of the incident. Gio Reina’s mother Daniel was Rosalind Verhalter’s teammate at the University of North Carolina at the time, and his father Claudio was playing for the national team alongside Greg Verhalter.
The Reinas family have been close friends for years, but they only went to US soccer after getting upset over their son’s playing time during the World Cup. The Reinas later admitted to going to the Commonwealth with information about a decades-old affair between Berhalter and his wife.
They were upset after hearing Mr Berhalter’s public comments about an unknown player who “clearly failed to live up to expectations on and off the field” at the World Cup, with staff considering sending the player home.After Geo Reina Revealed in Instagram apology That he is a problem player.
An investigation that ended in March cleared Mr. Berhalter of wrongdoing, found that he hadn’t wrongfully withheld information from the organization, and paved the way for him to be rehired. However, it was unclear at the time whether that would come to fruition.
In recent days, the men’s team’s main players, including star forward Christian Pulisic, have hinted at a return for Berhalter.
Pulisic: “I think he did a great job” told reporters Berhalter’s 3–0 win over Mexico on Thursday night. “I’m happy to pick up where I left off,” he added in a comment, suggesting the team knew in advance of Friday’s announcement about rehiring Berhalter.
Berhalter, who was first hired by the national team in 2019, will return as head coach after a record of 37-11-12.
