Sebastian Berhalter knows this is all a little bit crazy. He gets it. While most of his teammates on the U.S. men's national team don't have a loved one to whom they could turn for some direct, firsthand perspective on, say, their FIFA World Cup fears or anxieties, Berhalter can ask someone who played in two World Cups and coached in one as recently as four years ago.
"It's pretty ridiculous," Berhalter said of the conversations he's had with his dad, Gregg, who played for the U.S. at the 2002 and 2006 tournaments before coaching the Americans at Qatar 2022.
"It's pretty funny -- sometimes we'll have moments where we're like, 'I can't believe we're talking about this right now,'" Sebastian continued. "I feel super fortunate to have a dad who understands."
They've had plenty to talk about. Sebastian's rise to this summer's World Cup roster was similar to the arc of his entire pro career: Gradual. Deliberate. A bit of a slow burn. At this time in the last cycle, neither father nor son would have expected Sebastian would be in position to play a part for the U.S. when it opens its tournament against Paraguay on Friday night.
After all, four years ago, he was in Qatar only to support his dad from the stands. And not much before that, he had been considering whether to even continue playing professionally because it appeared his career might have stalled.
After a loan to Austin FC ended, his parent club, the Columbus Crew, traded him to the Vancouver Whitecaps for just $50,000 in guaranteed cash (which is the lowest amount MLS permits in a deal). He made only 18 appearances for the Caps that first season, playing 90 minutes only three times -- hardly a mainstay. He was talented, sure, but far from an impact player.
But then, as so often happens, opportunity appeared in an unlikely way. In 2023, he made 35 appearances with 15 starts and pitched in his first two MLS goals. In 2024, it was 40 appearances, three more goals and a confidence on the field that was clearly growing.
His full breakout came in 2025: A series of top-tier performances to help push Vancouver to the Concacaf Champions Cup final and MLS Cup final. A place on the All-Star team. An intensified focus on attacking, pushed by new Whitecaps coach Jesper Sørensen, that had Berhalter playing with incredible pace and precision.
"I think he was always a powerful force for us," Thomas Müller, who plays alongside Berhalter in Vancouver, told reporters last month. "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, but also his playmaking. He scores goals, he's giving us some very dangerous set pieces.
"Overall, [Sebastian] is a very important player for us, not only on the field but also in the locker room."
It's impossible, too, to ignore the importance of what happened to Gregg Berhalter as his son's career was taking off. U.S. Soccer fired Berhalter in 2024 after the national team's disappointing crashout of the Copa América. His successor, Mauricio Pochettino, saw what Sebastian was doing and handed him his first call-up on the Gold Cup roster the following summer.
Sebastian seized the moment and delivered quality performances throughout as the U.S. reached the final. He was solid again during the March friendlies against Belgium and Portugal, putting him in position to be named to the World Cup roster as a reserve midfielder. If Gregg Berhalter was still leading the national team, could he have done the same?
Probably not. Too many questions from outsiders, too many concerns he was playing favorites.
"I think about it all the time," Gregg Berhalter said recently. "I never could have picked him.
"But what I know," Berhalter went on, "is that everything is in the place it's supposed to be. It's his turn. It's his time now."
The Berhalters aren't the only father-son duo to play for the U.S. national team in a World Cup; Gregg Berhalter actually picked Gio Reyna for the team in Qatar after playing with Gio's dad, Claudio.
With Sebastian, it's easy to understand what Pochettino sees: A tireless worker. Skill and savvy on set pieces. A solid presence as a deeper-lying midfielder.
"He's a monster," Pochettino said after Berhalter featured in May's friendly win over Senegal, before highlighting Berhalter's relentless work ethic.
"He's the type of player who's going to train, going to train, going to train," Pochettino said. "I mean, sometimes I have to say [to him], 'Go inside,' no?"
That commitment is something Berhalter takes pride in, but there's also no doubting that he has been trying to soak up every minute of this World Cup experience.
Gregg Berhalter recalled talking with Sebastian on the first day of the March training camp window, long before any of this was even certain. The conversation, Gregg said, wasn't as much about the tactics or mechanics of the upcoming training sessions and games, but rather about how ecstatic Sebastian was just to be around his teammates.
"He was like, 'I can't wait to see Tim [Ream], I can't wait to see Weston [McKennie], oh man, Christian [Pulisic] is coming in,'" Gregg said. "He was like a kid in the candy store. He was just so excited, he couldn't wait. And as a father, you just feel so happy that your kid is so happy. It's that simple."
Now, four years after Sebastian watched his dad from the stands, it will be Gregg watching his son as he lives out his World Cup dream.
"There's no words," Sebastian said. "It's been a wild ride -- a fun ride -- but I wouldn't have it any other way."
