Danielle Reyna formerly known as Danielle Egan is a former soccer player, wife of former soccer player Claudio Reyna, the current sporting director of Austin FC. and mother of Gio Reyna, the 6’1 midfielder currently playing for Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund and the United States National Team.
Danielle Reyna Gregg Berhalter Abuse Allegations
On January 3, 2023, it was reported Gregg Berhalter had kicked his wife Rosalind in the legs after a drunken argument. Berhalter claimed he was blackmailed during the 2022 Qatar World Cup and has been forced to go public about the 1991 incident.
‘While we obviously would have wanted to advance further in the World Cup, I am very proud of and grateful for all our players, our staff, everyone at US Soccer, and all of the USMNT fans worldwide who supported us,’
‘Our performance relied on hard work and extraordinary energy and commitment from those on and off the pitch during the years of preparation. There are so many positive examples of how our squad came together, making so many different types of sacrifices all in pursuit of our group’s shared vision.
‘I am looking forward to continuing my conversations with US Soccer about the future, but now is the time for me to publicly share some personal information which a third party has used against my family and me.’
During the World Cup, an individual contacted US Soccer, saying that 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 US Soccer,’ the post continued.
‘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 from our relationship 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 that time, I immediately apologized 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 behavior.
‘Rosalind also informed her parents, family, and friends. While the authorities were never involved in this matter, I voluntarily sought out counseling to help learn, grow and improve – one of the most valuable decisions that ever made. To this day, that type of behavior 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,’ Berhalter continued in his statement.
‘Rosalind shared that her family supported this decision and by working through what had happened, we both realized that our love, 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 around the world. All of these people have witnessed the strong relationship we have and the loving family we have built together.
‘The lessons learned from that night over three decades ago became the foundation for a loving, devoted, and supportive relationship, which we honored and celebrated with our 25th wedding anniversary this past weekend.
‘I am sharing this story after 31 years because it’s important to understand it was an event that shaped me, but doesn’t define me. It was a single, isolated event over three decades ago and a terrible decision made in a bad moment by an 18-year-old. Rosalind and I have been on an amazing journey together.
‘We have raised four wonderful children, who are aware of what happened.
‘We are very proud of our marriage, our relationship, the family we have built, and the people we have become.
‘As a team we emphasize accountability, honesty, and growth. Those aren’t just principles we instill within the team; it is how I live my life. The foundation of any good team is using the past as an opportunity to learn and get better.
‘People can make mistakes and learn from them; people can also be forgiven for their mistakes. Thankfully, Rosalind forgave me. The intention of this statement is to provide transparency and to reinforce that a single bad decision made by a teenager does not necessarily define him for the rest of his life. We will not hide from this. We didn’t then, and we won’t now.
‘This is our story. We have fully cooperated with the US Soccer investigation into this matter, and while we would prefer not to speak about something so personal from so long ago in such a public forum, we are embracing this opportunity to share what has shaped us and how much we have grown and learned from this over the past 31 years. Thank you.
‘Rosalind and Gregg Berhalter.’
On January 4, 2022, Danielle Reyna admitted shes told Earnie Stewart a close friend of hers and the U.S. Soccer sporting director about USMNT coach Berhalter’s past domestic violence incident out of frustration over the treatment of Gio at the World Cup.
Danielle Reyna and Rosalind Berhalter were teammates and roommates at the University of North Carolina and continued to be friends until this day, the wives planned to travel to Qatar together but then abruptly changed their plans. Danielle admitted she texted Ernie Stewart but never made any threats to Berhalter.
I did call (US Soccer sporting director) Earnie Stewart on December 11, just after the news broke that Gregg had made negative statements about my son Gio at a leadership conference,’ her statement read.
‘I have known Earnie for years and consider him to be a close friend. I wanted to let him know that I was absolutely outraged and devastated that Gio had been put in such a terrible position, and that I felt very personally betrayed by the actions of someone my family had considered a friend for decades.
As part of that conversation, I told Earnie that I thought it was especially unfair that Gio, who had apologized for acting immaturely about his playing time, was still being dragged through the mud when Gregg had asked for and received forgiveness for doing something so much worse at the same age.
‘Without going into detail, the statements from yesterday significantly minimize the abuse on the night in question. Rosalind Berhalter was my roommate, teammate and best friend, and I supported her through the trauma that followed.
It took a long time for me to forgive and accept Gregg afterward, but I worked hard to give him grace, and ultimately made both of them and their kids a huge part of my family’s life. I would have wanted and expected him to give the same grace to Gio. This is why the current situation is so very hurtful and hard.
‘At the time I called Earnie, many people were trashing Gio on social media due to Gregg’s comments, and I didn’t know when or if this would stop.
‘I just wanted Earnie to help make sure that there would be no further unwarranted attacks on my son. I thought our conversation would remain in confidence, and it didn’t occur to me at the time that anything I said could lead to an investigation.
‘I’m not criticizing Earnie here. I very much commend the recent efforts by US Soccer to address abuse of women players, and I understand now he had an obligation to investigate what I shared.
‘But I want to be very clear that I did not ask for Gregg to be fired, I did not make any threats, and I don’t know anything about any blackmail attempts, nor have I ever had any discussions about anyone else on Gregg’s staff— I don’t know any of the other coaches.
‘I did not communicate with anyone in US Soccer about this matter before December 11, and no one else in my family has made any statements to US Soccer regarding Gregg’s past at all.
‘I’m sorry that this information became public, and I regret that I played a role in something that could reopen wounds from the past.
Claudio Reyna Wife
Claudio Reyna and his wife, Danielle Reyna met in the summer of 1994, when they were both 20, at the lobby of a Holiday Inn Hotel in Laguna Beach, Calif, before the U.S. hosted the World Cup.
Claudio Reyna was speaking to some female soccer players while Danielle was looking for her roommate; he noticed her and quickly approached her with the following pickup line “Do you like pizza?” She did. They talked that night.
They dated for three years before getting married in July 1997; four children blessed them with their presence, Jack, born in 1999; Gio in 2002, Joah-Mikel, born in 2007 and Carolina, born in 2009.
Danielle Reyna
5’6 Danielle Reyna was born Danielle Marie Egan on August 27, 1973. Danielle played for the North Carolina Tarheels at the University of North Carolina from 1991 to 1994, under head coach Anson Dorrance.
In addition to her performance with the Tarheels, Daniele Reyna played for the senior United States women’s team in 1993, scoring one goal in six games, all starts.
Claudio Reyna Children
Jack Reyna
Her son Jack born in Wolfsburg, Germany, on April 9th, 1999, and died at the age of 13, after a two-year battle with brain cancer on July 19th, 2012, in Bedford, New Jersey. According to a 2018 article published by Sports Illustrated, Jack was 11, in May 2010 when he complained of having terrible headaches.
“At first,” says Danielle, doctors “thought maybe it was meningitis or Lyme disease or a sinus infection. But he had no other symptoms. None.”
Then a neurologist noticed an issue with Jack’s peripheral vision in his left eye, and a subsequent CAT scan revealed a golf-ball-sized brain tumor. Surgery came next, followed by an agonizing three-week wait for a diagnosis.
Jack had stage IV glioblastoma, the kind of tumor John McCain and Ted Kennedy had—an extremely rare and aggressive condition, one that affects mostly men in their 60s and 70s. Jack Reyna was 11.
Jack’s MRIs were clear in April 2011 after nine months of chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
“The doctors were amazed,” says Danielle. “They said, ‘We’ve never seen a kid bounce back from radiation or chemo like this. He is such a fighter, he is always so positive.’
Sadly in December 2011, after Danielle noticed Jack’s speech was a bit off and a visit to NYU, doctors confirmed his cancer was back. They would treat Jack, but it would only slow down his steady deterioration.
“That’s when we knew,” says Claudio. “There was nothing you could do. Over Jack’s final seven months, whenever he had the energy, he and his family would attack his bucket list. The Reynas traveled to Mexico (where at the hotel swimming pool Gio switched roles, helping Jack when he needed it). They toured the top of the Empire State Building, dined at Nobu, watched the Ravens from field level and met Dirk Nowitzki at a Mavericks-Knicks game. But there were other days when Jack didn’t want to go out at all. Or his parents didn’t.
“Nobody should have to watch their child, someone they love, die,” she says. “It’s horrible. You could tell he was fighting it. We had him in the house, and there were almost always at least 20 people around, sometimes more. He got good energy from them. People also needed to see him. And from what friends have said, they needed to see us. And they got strength from us. The day he died, we called the hospice near us. We kind of knew it was coming. She came and said it was. And we sent Gio to two of our best friends here. Then Jack passed. You’re so numb at that point. You don’t want him to go, but you don’t want him to be in pain anymore.”
Gio Reyna
Gio Reyna as you all know, was born Giovanni Alejandro Reyna in Sunderland, England on November 13, 2002; he was na,ed after Claudio Reyna’s Rangers teammate Giovanni van Bronckhorst. The 6’1 attacking midfielder started his career with New York City FC in 2015.
In 2016, made his debut with the United States U15 Team, United States U16 Team from 2017-18, the United States U17 Team from 2018-19, and finally, the senior United States Team in November 2020.
Gio Reyna signed with the Bundesliga team Borussia Dortmund on January 18, 2020. Thus far, he has scored eight goals in 67 appearances.
Gio Reyna Girlfriend
Gio reyna’s girlfriend is Chloe Ortolano, the 5’8 senior midfielder currently playing for the Providence Friars women’s soccer team. Chloe the daughter of Jeffery and Gina Ortolano, has three sisters, Mikaela, Abigail and Faith.
Chloe Ortolano graduated in 2019 from Brien McHahon High School and will receive her Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Providence College in 2023; She is a campo counselor at Roton Point Association in Norwalk, Connecticut; before that, she was an intern at Fig Tree Designs.
