Sebastian Berhalter earns place on USMNT World Cup roster

Sebastian Berhalter has reached the 2026 World Cup after building his career from an MLS reserve into a regular for the U.S. men’s national team. His path included early setbacks, including a 2024 conversation in which his father, then USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter, told him he was not ready for the national team. Berhalter said that moment pushed him to work harder. Over the next two years, he established himself with the Vancouver Whitecaps, earned his first national team callup, and moved into the USMNT lineup at last summer’s Gold Cup. He is now part of the squad that opens Group D against Paraguay on Friday. The article traces Berhalter’s development through years of training, including extra sessions at home and during the COVID19 lockdown. Gregg Berhalter, now coaching the Chicago Fire, said his son earned his World Cup place on his own and that selecting him would have been complicated had he remained national team coach.