United States men's national team coach Gregg Berhalter issued a statement Tuesday in which he said he kicked his now-wife Rosalind during an argument four months after they first met and started dating in the fall of 1991.

He said he kicked her in the legs, calling it "a shameful moment and one that I regret to this day."

Berhalter added that he decided to disclose what occurred after "an individual contacted U.S. 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 U.S. Soccer."

Berhalter said he and Rosalind told their friends and family members what had happened at the time but didn't go to the local authorities. He also said he "sought out counseling to help learn, grow and improve—one of the most valuable decisions that I ever made."

The couple reconciled seven months later and has been together since then.

"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," Berhalter said.

Shortly after Berhalter published his account, U.S. Soccer announced it sought the services of Alston & Bird LLP to perform an independent investigation after it first learned of an allegation against the coach on Dec. 11.

"Through this process, U.S. Soccer has learned about potential inappropriate behavior towards multiple members of our staff by individuals outside of our organization," the federation said. "We take such behavior seriously and have expanded our investigation to include those allegations."

U.S. Soccer said it would publicly release its findings when the investigation is complete.

Berhalter was hired as national team coach in December 2018 as the USMNT looked to pick up the pieces after the team failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.

During his run, the U.S. was the inaugural champion in the CONCACAF Nations League and won the 2021 Gold Cup. The United States also qualified for the 2022 World Cup, where it advanced to the round of 16, losing 3-1 to the Netherlands.

Berhalter's contract with U.S. Soccer has expired, leaving the senior national team without a coach for the time being. The federation said it will announce plans for its January training camp "in the coming days."