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OT: We may win the World Cup in 2026

OK time to resurrect this one. First question: bring Berhalter back?
I think we did OK in the WC - probably enough to keep him - like a coin flip. But after this Reyna thing - no. Just my opinion. And if we had any mutual interest from the bigger name coaches currently out of work - Then definitely no.
 
No need to move on from Berhalter.
My take on this is different. It's not a question of whether we "need" to move on from Berhalter, we probably don't. It's a question of whether he is the best available candidate.

One way or another, Berhalter is not being fired. His contract is expiring. He owes nothing further to USSF, and vice versa.

If I ran the show, I would tell Berhalter that we are happy to invite him to interview for the position of USMNT coach for the 2023-26 cycle. We will be interviewing other candidates as well. If he chooses not to do so, we thank him for his service and wish him well in the next stop in his career.

Then I call Roberto Martinez.

All of that said, I think Berhalter will be back if he wants to be. But I have heard he may want to go the Jesse Marsch route and land a European club position.
 
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My take on this is different. It's not a question of whether we "need" to move on from Berhalter, we probably don't. It's a question of whether he is the best available candidate.

One way or another, Berhalter is not being fired. His contract is expiring. He owes nothing further to USSF, and vice versa.

If I ran the show, I would tell Berhalter that we are happy to invite him to interview for the position of USMNT coach for the 2023-26 cycle. We will be interviewing other candidates as well. If he chooses not to do so, we thank him for his service and wish him well in the next stop in his career.

Then I call Roberto Martinez.

All of that said, I think Berhalter will be back if he wants to be. But I have heard he may want to go the Jesse Marsch route and land a European club position.
The same Roberto Martinez who has flamed out at his last 2 jobs after his teams underperformed expectations?
 
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Seems like someone wants to bring down Gregg and make sure we get a new Coach.... Just in case the USMNT Big Wigs don't find the nerve to do it or become complacent.

I believe we should bring in someone new. Best Available and Gregg would not fit in that category.

Gregg USMNT Coach Blackmail
 
So who is the blackmailer? Who would have even known about this event that occurred three decades ago?

Hmmm. In whom might Rosalind Santana, who later became Rosalind Berhalter, have confided at the time? Maybe a teammate on the UNC soccer team on which she played? Possibly one Danielle Egan, who later became Mrs. Claudio Reyna?

Just throwin' it out there.
 
25 years of marriage to the person in question pretty much makes it a nothing now.
 
So who is the blackmailer? Who would have even known about this event that occurred three decades ago?

Hmmm. In whom might Rosalind Santana, who later became Rosalind Berhalter, have confided at the time? Maybe a teammate on the UNC soccer team on which she played? Possibly one Danielle Egan, who later became Mrs. Claudio Reyna?

Just throwin' it out there.

First thought I had in my mind - he had the most motivation to get Greg out. It’s too obvious though - probably someone we’ve never heard of who was pissed they didn’t get named as official “hydration engineer” of the USMNT.

Which makes it Chris Ash for sure.
 
So who is the blackmailer? Who would have even known about this event that occurred three decades ago?

Hmmm. In whom might Rosalind Santana, who later became Rosalind Berhalter, have confided at the time? Maybe a teammate on the UNC soccer team on which she played? Possibly one Danielle Egan, who later became Mrs. Claudio Reyna?

Just throwin' it out there.
ESPN just posted an article that the Reyna's put it out there.

My guess is after Gregg put out the info on why Gio didn't play, the Reynas decided to screw with Gregg too.

ESPN Article
 
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Mrs Reyna saying she did not try to blackmail Gregg.... That she was just complaining to Ernie Stewart, why the hell is Gregg throwing my son under the bus during his seminar, when he was much worse at his age like when he kicked my roommate, Mrs GGG.

Apparently Ernie, upon hearing had to have the investigated....

Someone is lying from the aspect of Gregg said he was being blackmailed to get kicked off the team. Reynas saying no blackmail occured.

Obviously nothing should have seen the light of day, included Gregg's conference where Gio was clearly the person who was being talked about as well as Danielle Reyna's comments.
 
I was neutral about GB being retained for the next WC. I think he's done a perfectly good job so I'm fine if he stays. But I don't latch onto coaches in any sport for any reason, so I'm fine if he goes so long as we find a good replacement who continues on with the same fundamental style of play and works to build upon it.

At least, I was neutral. Now though, if this quote from the ESPN article turns out to be fully accurate, I want him retained. Because he demonstrated great character by going ahead and coaching the tournament the way he felt it should be coached despite the lame blackmail attempt.

"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."

IMO, the Reynas, if the above is true, should be banned from participating in soccer in the US going forward. And Claudio should probably be arrested for blackmail. I deeply despise tattle-tales. Whistleblowing in circumstances where great harm is involved, and done in a way so as not to compromise national security, is one thing. This was not that.
 
I also fail to understand why the USSF would undergo an investigation of an incident that occurred between GB and his now wife of 25 years, over 25 years ago. That's ridiculous. What do they think they're going to find?
 
Gotta love a juicy scandal to kick off the new year.

Reyna and Berhalter are both born & raised Jersey boys, played together at St. Benedict's Prep on those dominant NJ state championship teams.
 
I was neutral about GB being retained for the next WC. I think he's done a perfectly good job so I'm fine if he stays. But I don't latch onto coaches in any sport for any reason, so I'm fine if he goes so long as we find a good replacement who continues on with the same fundamental style of play and works to build upon it.

At least, I was neutral. Now though, if this quote from the ESPN article turns out to be fully accurate, I want him retained. Because he demonstrated great character by going ahead and coaching the tournament the way he felt it should be coached despite the lame blackmail attempt.

"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."

IMO, the Reynas, if the above is true, should be banned from participating in soccer in the US going forward. And Claudio should probably be arrested for blackmail. I deeply despise tattle-tales. Whistleblowing in circumstances where great harm is involved, and done in a way so as not to compromise national security, is one thing. This was not that.

Even my 4 year old knows snitches get stitches.
 
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Even my 4 year old knows snitches get stitches.
We unfortunately don't know the whole story. Gio's moms story, if correct, sounds reasonable to me. I do think both sides are in the wrong here. I think Greg has handled this situation very poorly and it is time to move on from him. We can't trade Reyna and there is no situation where he is not part of the future of the US team unless there is more out there that we are not aware of that he personally did. He cannot work with Greg so that has to be dealt with.
 
I am just totally disappointed with the whole situation…following US soccer is one of my main passions in life and it just makes me sad…on the other hand this is getting really crazy and it will be interesting how it all plays out in the end…
 
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Listening to counterattack on Sirius, FC and Eric Wynalda is stirring the pot saying there is more to the story, than playing time. Said there were issues with Berhalter’s son ditching Claudio at Austin FC etc.

I love listening to that guy…
 
I also fail to understand why the USSF would undergo an investigation of an incident that occurred between GB and his now wife of 25 years, over 25 years ago. That's ridiculous. What do they think they're going to find?
My guess, based on nothing, is that the domestic abuse incident is but the tip of the Reyna/Berhalter iceberg. The Reynas may have spilled more beans to Stewart than Berhalter acknowledged in his statement.
 
Listening to counterattack on Sirius, FC and Eric Wynalda is stirring the pot saying there is more to the story, than playing time. Said there were issues with Berhalter’s son ditching Claudio at Austin FC etc.

I love listening to that guy…

Wynalda is a guy who's been through some pretty weird press cycles.

He was the first American to get a red card in a World Cup.

When he was with the Earthquakes he hired a plane with a banner to fire the coach. The plane circled the practice field.

The original Captain America, John Harkes was kept of the 1998 WC squad because he was banging Wynalda's wife.

He was fired from ESPN for saying some unmentionable things to Jim Rome. In fairness, Rome might be one of the ten most annoying people on Earth.
 
In related news, Asst. Coach Anthony Hudson has been named Interim Coach, and will coach the team for the upcoming January friendlies in LA (1/25 Serbia, 1/28 Colombia). This is not an international window. The team will be largely, if not exclusively, comprised of MLS players.

Stewart has said that Berhalter remains a candidate for the job, which I assume he still wants. Although at this point he may say F-it and take a club job somewhere.
 
In her statement, Danielle Reyna said that Berhalter's comments "significantly minimize the abuse on the night in question".

That leaves one to speculate the worst, which I am sure was her intent.
 
Well - kicked her leg does sound pretty innocuous given the intensity of the response.

Not gonna speculate what happened but that part of the statement caught my eye.
 
Not one bit of any of this bullshit involves any of us. It's none of our business.

How people get so consumed by this sort of pure bullshit reveals an aspect of humanity that is very disgusting and sickening. What is missing in people's lives that they willingly participate in such an ugly and undignified purveying of rumors and manufactured scandal that has absolutely nothing to do with them whatsoever?
 
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