Claudio Reyna resigns as Austin FC sporting director amid USMNT scandal
Amid a controversy involving his son, wife and United States World Cup coach Gregg Berhalter, former U.S. captain Claudio Reyna resigned as Austin FC's sporting director on Thursday, the MLS club announced.
Reyna and his wife, Danielle, made headlines earlier this month after Danielle Reyna admitted to informing U.S. Soccer of a 31-year-old domestic altercation involving Berhalter and his now wife, Rosalind. In a statement sent to FOX Sports on Jan. 4, Danielle Reyna said she reported the incident after Berhalter was quoted saying that he nearly sent a player, later identified as 20-year-old midfielder Gio Reyna, home from Qatar for the younger Reyna's refusal to accept a role off the bench.
"I support my wife, Danielle," Claudio Reyna said in his own statement at the time. "I, too, was upset by Gregg's comments about Gio after the U.S. was out of the World Cup." FOX Sports subsequently reported that Claudio Reyna had also inappropriately contacted then U.S. under-17 coach Raphaël Wicky about Gio's role when the younger Reyna was a member of Wicky's squad at the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup.
The Reynas' behavior has been roundly criticized since the saga went public. Now, just over three weeks later, Claudio Reyna has vacated the position he'd held with the Verde since leaving a similar role with New York City FC in 2019.
"We're grateful for Claudio's contributions," Austin FC owner Anthony Precourt said in a press release announcing the news. It added that Reyna will serve as a technical advisor to the club going forward. "I'm grateful that Anthony and the organization have given me the opportunity to scale back my role and responsibilities," Reyna said.
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Alexi Lalas and David Mosse react to the latest news surrounding Gregg Berhalter, Claudio Reyna, and Gio Reyna.
After debuting as an expansion team in 2021, Austin took a huge step forward on the field last season, finishing second in the Western Conference behind eventual MLS Cup champions LAFC. But Reyna staying with the club in a prominent, front-facing role was probably untenable after his role in the saga involving the Berhalters came to light.
Both Precourt and Austin head coach Josh Wolff have deep, longstanding relationships with Gregg Berhalter. As the then owner of the Columbus Crew, Precourt hired Berhalter as his first coach, while Wolff served as Berhalter's top assistant with both the Crew and the national team before taking over in Austin ahead of the club's maiden season. The independent investigation into the Berhalter incident and Claudio and Danielle Reyna's communications with team staff during the 2022 World Cup is ongoing.
Austin promoted Sean Rubio, who had served as the club's director of player personnel since 2020, to interim sporting director.
Doug McIntyre is a soccer writer for FOX Sports. Before joining FOX Sports in 2021, he was a staff writer with ESPN and Yahoo Sports and he has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams at multiple FIFA World Cups. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.
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