If Gregg Berhalter found any silver lining in being fired as coach of the United States, it was that his departure meant his son, Sebastian, might get a clearer path to starting his own national team journey – a journey that wouldn’t have any questions about possible favoritism.
Turns out, that’s exactly what happened.
Mauricio Pochettino, who replaced Gregg in 2024, officially named Sebastian to this summer’s World Cup roster on Tuesday as one of his midfielders — a decision his father believes is “perfect.”
“I think about it all the time,” Gregg Berhalter told ESPN. “I never could have picked him.
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“But what I know,” Berhalter added, “is that everything is in the place it’s supposed to be. This is how life is — it’s his turn. It’s his time now.”
The Berhalters are not the only father-son pairing to represent the U.S. on a World Cup roster; four years ago in Qatar, Gregg included Giovanni Reyna on his roster after having played alongside Reyna’s dad, Claudio, at the World Cup in 2002 and 2006.
A father coaching his son, though, is a different matter.
Michael Bradley, the star midfielder and former U.S. captain, featured regularly when his dad, Bob, was the national team coach, including at the 2010 World Cup.
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But while Sebastian’s career has clearly spiked in the past 12 months as he’s proved more indispensable to the Vancouver Whitecaps, he is still likely to be more of a reserve on the national team.
That reality would have made it challenging – impossible even — for Gregg to have picked Sebastian over another candidate to fill out the roster if he were still the coach.
“People would have questioned it and wondered about it, even if he deserved it,” Gregg said. “Now, there’s no question — he deserves it. And he’s earned it.”
Whenever Sebastian would ask his dad for guidance about playing for the national team someday, Gregg said that his advice was always the same: Focus on your club career, because if you excel there, the national team will follow.
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After a breakout season for Vancouver last year, Sebastian played for Pochettino at the Gold Cup last summer and continued to impress during the March window’s matches against Belgium and Portugal.
Now, four years after he was in the stands cheering for his dad, the roles will be reversed.
“Every day is a moment — that’s how he looks at it,” Gregg said. “He’s so mentally strong. I’m so proud of him. He’s ready for this.”
