National Writer: Charles Boehm<\/span>\n <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n IRVINE, Calif. \u2013 Sebastian Berhalter<\/a> spoke about dreams turned reality<\/a> when he was named to the United States<\/a>‘ 2026 FIFA\u00a0World Cup<\/a> roster last month.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n He recalled in wonder how he\u2019d been in the friends and family section in Qatar four years ago in support of his father Gregg, then the program\u2019s head coach \u2013 a short but significant distance removed from the players wearing the country\u2019s colors.<\/p>\n It still felt stubbornly \u201csurreal\u201d when his own World Cup baptism arrived last Friday, dad and the rest of the family watching on proudly.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, it was ridiculous,\u201d Berhalter told MLSsoccer.com after the Yanks\u2019 4-1 demolishing<\/a> of Paraguay, where he made his World Cup debut as a second-half substitute for Christian Pulisic.<\/p>\n \u201cEven before the game, I just kept chuckling to myself, like, what the hell is going on? Literally, I couldn’t believe it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Sebastian and Gregg Berhalter become just the second father-son duo to represent the USMNT at a FIFA World Cup \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83d\udc4f<\/p>\n A special moment for the Berhalter family \u2764\ufe0f pic.twitter.com\/W45ZWw7UwY<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2014 Golazo America (@GolazoAmerica) June 13, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n Four days on from that pinch-me moment, which made the Berhalter boys the 28th father-son duo in history to take the World Cup stage, he spoke to reporters again at the USMNT\u2019s base camp in Orange County as they prepare for another monumental occasion this Friday: A duel with Australia in Seattle for the top spot in Group D (3 pm ET | FOX, Telemundo, Peacock).<\/p>\n \u201cGoing up to see my family and seeing how happy they were for me, four years ago I was in the stands waiting for my pops to come up, and now they’re waiting for me,”\u00a0 reflected the Vancouver Whitecaps FC<\/a> midfielder.\u00a0<\/p>\n “So it’s pretty special, and just to have that moment with them was amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s quite a come-up, especially given that Berhalter was already 21 when he attended those matches in and around Doha, and up to that point had shown little to no sign<\/a> of being a World Cup-level player. He\u2019d only ever gotten invited to one youth national team camp, and there he was told he wasn\u2019t good enough \u2013 a powerful source of motivation for the then-teenager.<\/p>\n Even more potent: Hearing a similar message from his father two years ago, a poignant moment the two shared in FIFA\u2019s \u2018Letters That Unite\u2019 video series<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \n \n
Full circle<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n