Gregg Berhalter rehired as US men’s coach

The U.S. men’s soccer team announced Friday that it is rehiring Gregg Berhalter as head coach ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

The move ended a whirlwind few months for 49-year-old Berhalter, who led the US men’s team to the round of 16 at the World Cup in Qatar but failed to get his contract renewed in the aftermath of the tournament.

Instead, the U.S. Soccer Federation announced it had launched an independent investigation into his conduct following allegations from the parents of one of his players that Berhalter physically assaulted his wife, Rosalind, in an incident 30 years ago when they were dating were like university. students. The Berhalters, who remain married, reconciled shortly after the incident and have spoken openly about it following the allegations this year.

The investigation was sparked by information from the parents of US striker Gio Reyna, who went to US Soccer with details of the incident. Gio Reyna’s mother, Danielle, was a North Carolina teammate of Rosalind Berhalter at the time, and his father, Claudio, had played on the national team with Gregg Berhalter.

Although the families had been good friends for many years, the Reynas only complained to US Soccer after they became angry about their son’s playing time in the World Cup. The Reynas later confirmed that they had gone to the federation with information about the decades-old incident between Berhalter and his wife.

They had become upset after hearing Berhalter’s public comments about an unnamed player at the World Cup who “clearly fell short of expectations on and off the pitch” and whom the staff considered sending home. Gio Reyna later revealed in an apology on Instagram that he was the player in question.

The investigation, which concluded in March, cleared Berhalter of any wrongdoing — meaning he wasn’t withholding improper information from the organization — and opened a path for him to be rehired. However, it was unclear at the time whether that would happen.

In recent days, key players in the men’s team, including star striker Christian Pulisic, had suggested they support Berhalter’s return.

“I think he did a great job,” says Pulisic told reporters van Berhalter after a 3-0 victory over Mexico on Thursday night. “I’m glad we can just pick up where we left off,” he added, in comments suggesting the team was already aware of Friday’s announcement that Berhalter had been rehired.

Berhalter, who was first hired by the national team in 2019, returns to the team with a record of 37-11-12 as head coach.