U.S. players backing their embattled former coach Berhalter

Gregg Berhalter is getting support from national team players as he awaits a decision from the federation on his future as U.S. coach.

Berhalter coached the team for the last four years and compiled the best winning percentage for a permanent manager in U.S. Soccer history. But his contract ran out on New Year’s Eve, after the federation began an investigation into a 1991 incident in which he admitted he kicked the woman who later became his wife in the legs during an argument when they were 18-year-old college freshmen.

The physical altercation, which was not reported to authorities, didn’t become public until Claudio and Danielle Reyna, longtime friends of the Berhalters, told the federation about it. What followed is a Shakespearean tale of friendship and betrayal fueled by the Reynas’ displeasure over how Berhalter used their son Gio during last year’s World Cup in Qatar.

Berhalter released a statement describing the incident as “a shameful moment and one I regret to this day” and during last week’s MLS media day in San Jose, national team players Walker Zimmerman and DeAndre Yedlin, both defenders, came to the defense of their former coach.

“Gregg has done a great job for the national team. The record speaks for itself,” Zimmerman said of Berhalter, who was 37-11-12 with the team. “He did a really good job of creating a team culture and a chemistry that was impressive. He has handled a lot of things very, very well.”

Yedlin agreed. “Gregg’s a great head coach,” he said. “He did a great job of banding us together and really making sure we’re all fighting for the same goal. I’ve really enjoyed working with him.”

Whether he’ll get to continue working with him is uncertain. U.S. Soccer hired the Atlanta-based law firm of Alston & Bird LLP to conduct an independent investigation into the 1991 incident as well as “potential inappropriate behavior towards multiple members of our staff by individuals outside of our organization,” the federation said in a statement.

Berhalter would like to return as coach and said he looked forward to “continuing my conversations with U.S. Soccer about the future.” At the same time, the federation has reached out to other candidates. French newspaper L’Equipe reported last week that former Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane was approached about the job and turned it down.

In the meantime, Berhalter assistant Anthony Hudson will serve as caretaker manager for the team’s first training camp of the year, which opens Saturday.

LAFC midfielder Kellyn Acosta declined to address Berhalter’s situation directly but said he was “a guy I respect a lot.”

“He’s the guy that gave me the opportunity to make my debut in a World Cup, and I think he did a great job in the World Cup,” he said.

None of the American players addressed Gio Reyna’s role in the controversy. After arriving in Qatar, Reyna reportedly was told he would have a limited role in the World Cup, and in response, he put so little effort into training that the coaching staff considered sending him home. Reyna apologized to the team for his behavior but that didn’t stop his parents, both former national team players, from taking action against Berhalter.

St. Louis City goalkeeper Roman Burki, who played with Reyna for Germany’s Borussia Dortmund, talked about his former teammate last week and suggested a strong work ethic wasn’t Reyna’s strength.

“What happened in the national team, I really don’t know. So I cannot talk about this,” he said. “But I’ve known Gio for a long period of time. When I was there, he was a really young kid. Gio was always special. He had to learn how to work hard.”

Acosta, Long to get U.S. team call-up

The roster for the first training camp of the new World Cup cycle will be announced Wednesday and there will be a few surprises.

Players expected to be among the 23 called in include Acosta and new LAFC addition Aaron Long, both of whom were on the team in Qatar. The January camp, which falls outside a FIFA competition window, traditionally has been limited to MLS players, but this week’s call-ups will include young players from outside the U.S.

The inclusion of Long and Acosta suggested there will be continuity between Hudson’s and Berhalter’s teams, and it’s also a nod to Acosta’s skills as a leader. His 55 caps rank fourth among active national team players and he’ll be counted on to provide a veteran presence for newcomers such as Julian Gressel, a veteran, German-born MLS defender, and dual nationals Alejandro Zendejas and Brandon Vazquez, whose callups were first reported by “Futbol Americas” hosts Herculez Gomez and Sebastian Salazar.