Gregg Berhalter will no longer be the head coach of the USA Men’s National Soccer team after a report of him kicking his wife after a “heated argument” made headlines.
Berhalter, whose contract with US Soccer expired on December 31, 2022, had admitted to kicking his wife in the legs during a heated argument outside a bar in 1991.
In a statement he released over the incident, 49-year-old Berhalter did not confirm whether he would coach the team in the build-up to the 2026 World Cup, but he said that he wants to share his side of the story.
It partly read;
“During the World Cup, an individual contacted U.S Soccer saying they had information about me that would “take me down” – an apparent effort to leverage something very personal from long ago to bring about the end of my relationship with U.S Soccer. This is a difficult step to take, but my wife, Rosalind, and I want to clearly and directly share the truth. This is a story that belongs to us, but hopefully there are lessons that can be valuable to others.
“In the fall of 1991, I met my soulmate. I had just turned 18 and was a freshman in college when I met Rosalind for the first time. There was a familiar feeling when we spoke. Rosalind was and is an amazing person – determined, empathetic, fun to be around – and we connected immediately. It felt like we had known each other for years. We had been dating for four months when an incident happened between us that would shape the future of our relationship. One night, while out drinking at a local bar, Rosalind and I had a heated argument that continued outside. It became physical and I kicked her in the legs.
“There are zero excuses for my actions that night; it was a shameful moment and one that I regret to this day. At the time, I immediately apologised to Rosalind, but understandably, she wanted nothing to do with me. I told my parents, family and friends what happened because I wanted to take full responsibility for my behaviour. Rosalind also informed her parents, family and friends. While the authorities were never involved in this matter, I voluntarily sought out counselling to help learn, grow and improve – one of the most valuable decisions that I ever made. To this day, that type of behaviour has never been repeated.
“I feared that I lost my soulmate and then out of the blue, seven months later I received a call from Rosalind asking if we could speak in person. We met and discussed how we had grown and decided to rebuild our relationship. Rosalind shared that her family supported this decision and by working through what happened, we both realised that our live, trust and respect for each other was stronger than the incident that occurred months earlier. Since then, Rosalind and I have lived together in five different countries, three different states, and have met and remained friends with many wonderful people from all around the world. All of these people have witnessed the strong relationship we have and the loving family we have built together.”
pic.twitter.com/421kvOoQBj
— Gregg Berhalter (@GreggBerhalter_) January 3, 2023
Though Berhalter and his wife have now been together for 25 years, celebrating their wedding relationship over the New Year’s Eve weekend, the US Soccer federation announced that it would be investigating the matter, and would release more information on its investigation at a later date.
ABC reported that USSF also said that it will announce “in the coming days” who will coach the team for exhibitions against Serbia on January 25 and Colombia three days later. These are the first matches for the Americans since they were eliminated by the Netherlands last month in the World Cup round of 16.
Berhalter, 51, was hired in December 2018 after the U.S. failed to qualify for that year’s World Cup. He has led the team to 37 wins, 11 losses and 12 draws, and the Americans earned the third and final automatic World Cup berth from the North and Central American and Caribbean region.
Berhalter is also the first American to play for and coach the U.S. at a World Cup.