{"id":820,"date":"2026-06-06T11:07:23","date_gmt":"2026-06-06T11:07:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trustedmovinggroups.com\/?p=820"},"modified":"2026-06-06T11:07:23","modified_gmt":"2026-06-06T11:07:23","slug":"sebastian-berhalter-turned-his-fathers-tough-truth-into-world-cup-breakthrough","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trustedmovinggroups.com\/?p=820","title":{"rendered":"Sebastian Berhalter turned his father\u2019s tough truth into World Cup breakthrough"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Sebastian Berhalter\u2019s path to the World Cup is not that of a young prodigy who had an easy way onto the U.S. men\u2019s national team \u2014 despite what some might think of the son of storied former player and head coach Gregg Berhalter.<\/p>\n

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The 25-year-old midfielder will tell you that his father was the one to tell him four years ago, before the 2022 FIFA World Cup, that he wasn\u2019t good enough. It \u201cwasn\u2019t even close,\u201d he joked to reporters last week after this year\u2019s roster was announced.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

So he watched from the stands in Qatar as his father coached the 2022 team he dreamed of playing on. At one point during the tournament, the young midfielder spotted a miniature replica of the World Cup trophy at the concession stands. He took it home as a symbol of affirmation that he would be at the World Cup in 2026.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was a goal I had, and people would\u2019ve thought I was crazy,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s how I\u2019ve been my whole life. I always believed. If you don\u2019t believe, no one else is going to believe. So for me, I knew it was possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Everything in the four years since Gregg Berhalter gave his son that hard truth is proof that it was not the defining moment of his potential, his father told NBC News. That type of resilience, focus and mental endurance is the exact skill set that his son will need at the largest soccer tournament in the world this summer, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really about where he\u2019s come and his mental strength to get there, and you know, the journey is what I\u2019m most proud of,\u201d Gregg Berhalter said. \u201cHe\u2019s such a hard worker, he\u2019s humble, he has a process, he\u2019s dedicated, he\u2019s focused \u2014 you know, you name it. You can deal with setbacks, and you know, to me, that that\u2019s really the mark of true mental strength.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sebastian Berhalter returned to playing for the Vancouver Whitecaps in 2022 with a new mindset that led to finally becoming a starter and the creation of more opportunities in front of the net. Only 14 games into this year\u2019s MLS season, Berhalter has already scored six goals and offered up seven assists.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

It\u2019s the result of years of working to sharpen his technical skills.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like if I can just keep the ball and have a quicker touch and use my body, I think that\u2019s the biggest thing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Almost a year after his father was replaced as the head coach of the men\u2019s team, Sebastian Berhalter received his first call-up to the national team under the reign of Mauricio Pochettino. He recorded two assists at the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup from set pieces, one of the aspects of the game Berhalter said last week that he spent some time working on.<\/p>\n

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Just a few months later, he scored his first international goal with the senior team at a friendly against Uruguay in Tampa, Florida.<\/p>\n

And on Sunday, just days after he was announced as a member of the World Cup squad, Berhalter was the last starting player to be subbed off in the friendly against Senegal. Pochettino described Berhalter as a \u201cmonster\u201d who gives his best in any type of game, whether it\u2019s a tournament or training or playing with friends.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s the type of player that they\u2019re going to train, they\u2019re going to train, they\u2019re going to train, and sometimes you need to say, \u2018Go inside,\u2019 you know? As a coach, it\u2019s always a pleasure to have a player like him,\u201d Pochettino said.<\/p>\n

Giving 200% on the field isn\u2019t a new concept for Berhalter, who said he always knew that if he were to make the national team under his father he would be expected to give double compared to everyone else. But he also says he\u2019s been \u201cso lucky\u201d to have a father who could help him develop from his childhood well into his professional career.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so fortunate to have him in my corner,\u201d he said. \u201cAfter games, and even just in general, anytime, we\u2019ll just go back and forth on things.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the day American players learned they were making the squad, Gregg Berhalter had been aware that emails were sent because of his new role as the head coach of the Chicago Fire. He had just heard that his goalkeeper, Chris Brady, had a call-up when his mind turned to his son.<\/p>\n

Moments later, he got a FaceTime call from Sebastian.<\/p>\n

Sebastian Berhalter described his father as \u201cso proud\u201d during that call. And pride is the first emotion his father feels when he thinks about the fact that for the first time, he\u2019s going to be on the sidelines watching his son play on the world stage.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\u201cYou know, sharing the experience of participating in a World Cup with him is unbelievable, because I can try to describe it all I want, but until you\u2019re in it, you know, you don\u2019t understand it,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd now we\u2019re going to have that shared experience, and that means the world to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Sebastian Berhalter\u2019s path to the World Cup is not that of a young prodigy who had an easy way onto the U.S. men\u2019s national team \u2014 despite what some might think of the son of storied former player and head coach Gregg Berhalter<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":819,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-820","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-cup"],"yoast_head":"\nSebastian Berhalter turned his father\u2019s tough truth into World Cup breakthrough - Trusted Moving Group<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/trustedmovinggroups.com\/?p=820\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sebastian Berhalter turned his father\u2019s tough truth into World Cup breakthrough - 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