Sebastian Berhalter, the Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder, has been named to the United States’ World Cup roster for a tournament that begins with a match against Paraguay on June 12 in Los Angeles. The 25-year-old joins a 26-player squad head coach Gregg Berhal
For Sebastian Berhalter, the World Cup has never felt like a distant dream. It started as something he watched from the edge of the spotlight—his dad, Gregg Berhalter, wearing the U.S. shirt as a defender and later taking charge as coach.
Now the Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder has the chance to live inside those moments himself. The 25-year-old was named to the United States national team World Cup roster on Tuesday, with the squad’s tournament set to kick off against Paraguay in Los Angeles on June 12.
“I’m so fortunate that I even get to be in a mix. It’s incredible,” Berhalter said. “Like. I was just thinking about it yesterday — that I even have a chance to make a World Cup team is something that a year ago would have been hard to believe. So I just feel so honoured that I get to be a part of it.”.
Growing up around his father meant the discipline never looked optional. Berhalter said the work came with a quiet, everyday seriousness—trying to keep his dad in the right physical and mental shape, even when that meant being careful around rest and routines.
“Growing up around my dad, it was always about my dad,” Berhalter said. “We were trying to get him in the best headspace possible. physically also. to make sure he could be at his best. And that’s something that you don’t take lightly. We were always trying to be quiet when he was napping and make sure he got the right food and stuff like that. Just how seriously he took it was awesome.”.
That same approach is part of what has powered Berhalter’s rise in Major League Soccer. He is in his seventh MLS season, and this year has been one of standout production. Heading into the World Cup break, the Whitecaps sit on top of the Western Conference standings with a 10-2-2 record.
Berhalter has been central to that momentum. He has a team-high 13 goal contributions through 14 appearances this season, including a career-high six goals.
Vancouver teammate Thomas Muller described what it looks like from the inside.
“I think he was always a powerful force for us,” Muller said. “From one to 90, every minute he is on the pitch, he gives everything.
“And he can provide a lot, not only in his endurance, his power, also his playmaking. He scores goals, he’s giving us some very dangerous set pieces. Overall, he’s a very important player for us, not only on the field but also in the locker room.”
The impact is not limited to this season. Last year, Berhalter helped Vancouver through a historic run, delivering four goals and 12 assists in 29 MLS regular-season games. In the CONCACAF Champions Cup, he recorded three goals and two assists across eight games. He also saw Vancouver win a fourth straight Canadian Championship title. and he played in five playoff games. including the MLS Cup final. where the Whitecaps fell to Inter Miami.
With those performances, Berhalter has also built a place in the U.S. national team. He made his debut in November 2025 and has since made 11 appearances, scoring one goal and adding three assists.
Even as his numbers have climbed over the last two seasons, Berhalter has kept his focus on what comes before the visible results.
“I think you’re seeing the tip of the iceberg,” he said. “All you’re seeing is this part. but there’s been times when I couldn’t get into training. and then I got into training. and it’s just been steadily just believing in myself and just doing the right things. The last two years is what you’ve seen. but there’s been four years before that where it been a grind. and same thing — it’s been just steadily getting better.”.
Whitecaps head coach Jesper Sorensen is careful not to treat Berhalter’s ascent as something the club engineered alone. Since Sorensen took over at the beginning of January 2025, he has said he learned quickly about Berhalter’s work ethic—along with the need to manage it.
Sorensen said he and his staff spoke with the midfielder about slowing down his game, and described a set of skills that Berhalter hadn’t previously trusted. He said Berhalter then became Vancouver’s go-to option for set pieces, and a steady presence who can help create goals and defend.
“He added, with the experience that he got with the national team and also what we experienced last year, that he was a good player in big games for us,” Sorensen said. “And he added that kind of confidence for him as well.”
That confidence, however, doesn’t come with an off switch. Sorensen described a player who is often the last on the field at training, working on his shot long after everyone else has left.
“I know that his whole mindset is to work 24/7 and that’s a good thing,” Sorensen said. “But one of the big things about being a professional athlete is knowing when to rest and knowing that you need all the full force when you have your competitive moments, and that’s also in the games.”
Berhalter traces the fuel for that effort back to his family. He said his parents instilled it in him, and that being around his dad—watching how hard he worked and how seriously he took the job—“bled onto” him.
“I think my parents instilled that in me,” he said. “Being around my dad. just seeing how hard he worked and how seriously he took it kind of bled onto me. And then I want to win. I want to win for my guys. I want to win for the club. for the fans. and it’s easy to get that competitive spirit to kind of fuel you to win games.”.
Family is still close, even with five seasons spent in Vancouver. Berhalter stays in touch with his parents and his three sisters, and he said they have been part of multiple World Cups—supporting Gregg first as a player and then as a coach.
“To know that this summer, they could be following him around North America as the U.S. chases a World Cup title is a special feeling,” Berhalter said. “At the last World Cup. I was thinking ‘Wow. if I had the chance to bring my whole family to the World Cup. that would be incredible. ’ and yeah. I think that is the really surreal thing.”.
The United States World Cup roster includes:
Goalkeepers: Chris Brady (Chicago), Matt Freese (New York City), Matt Turner (New England)
Defenders: Max Arfsten (Columbus), Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven), Alex Freeman (Villarreal), Mark McKenzie (Toulouse), Tim Ream (Charlotte), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Miles Robinson (Cincinnati), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Auston Trusty (Celtic)
Midfielders: Tyler Adams (Bournemouth), Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver), Weston McKennie (Juventus), Gio Reyna (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Cristian Roldan (Seattle), Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen)
Forwards: Brenden Aaronson (Leeds), Folarin Balogun (Monaco), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Tim Weah (Marseille), Haji Wright (Coventry), Alejandro Zendejas (América)
Sebastian Berhalter Vancouver Whitecaps United States World Cup roster Paraguay June 12 Los Angeles Gregg Berhalter Thomas Muller Jesper Sorensen MLS CONCACAF Champions Cup Inter Miami Christian Pulisic Tim Weah Tyler Adams