‘Pitbull’—Why Sebastian Berhalter Could Play a Bigger Role for the USMNT

The U.S. men’s national team will need the MLS star’s tenacity in the knockout stages.

Sebastian Berhalter’s ability to score from distance could be an advantage in the knockouts | Eric Verhoeven/Soccrates/Getty Images

The 2026 World Cup has overflowed with storylines, but one of the quieter ones might just be the impressive performances from the record-high number of MLS players in the tournament. 

With 44 players across the 48 teams, the league has had a presence like never before. While some major stars, like Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi, are firmly in the tournament’s limelight, other key contributors have been left in the shadows.  

For example. Sebastian Berhalter. Despite limited minutes, the U.S. men’s national team and Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder has impressed. After scoring his first World Cup goal and providing an assist in a rotated USMNT squad that fell 3–2 to Türkiye, he could be bound for more minutes too. 

Unlike many in the second-string of U.S. players that got their opportunity in the dead rubber group stage finale, Berhalter’s showing turned heads and could put him in a position to play a key role in the single-elimination matches moving forward—potentially against some of the world’s best teams. 

Here, Sports Illustrated takes a look at why manager Mauricio Pochettino may want to rely on Berhalter more, starting in the round of 32 clash against Bosnia & Herzegovina.

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Berhalter’s “Pitbull-ish” Tenacity

Sebastian Berhalter earned praise from his teammates after his performance against Türkiye. | Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu/Getty Images

No player was more present against Türkiye than Berhalter. The 25-year-old created a game-high five chances and led the match with 89 touches, many of which came in the influential edge just outside of the final third. At the same time, his eight recoveries and five defensive contributions were in the top three of all players in either category in the match. 

With Vancouver, Berhalter has established himself as one of the most energetic midfielders in MLS. While his one-on-one defending may not stand out, his speed and fitness allow him to get back into position, while his spatial awareness lets him read even the most deceptive of players. 

Against Türkiye, he played in the central midfield as he does for Vancouver, allowing him to control the middle channel and dish passes out to wider options to spark attacks. That positioning, compared to the wide midfield role he played off the bench against Paraguay and Australia, allows him to influence the match, with an engine that doesn’t wear out. 

“He can play two games in a row. He’s a monster,” Pochettino said of Berhalter after an impressive showing against Senegal in a pre-World Cup friendly. “He’s a monster, in the way of how professional he is. I think he deserved to be in the [World Cup] roster, and today, [I’m] happy too with his performance.”

Added star defender Chris Richards after the Türkiye match: “[He’s] Pit bull-ish. I’d say, he’s definitely a guy who likes getting stuck in. He's a guy who we also look to for mentality. He's one of those guys, and he topped it off with a goal.”

Those qualities were evident against Türkiye and could put him in a position to play difficult minutes against a gritty Bosnia side.

Compete against the world. | SPORTS ILLUSTRATED

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Berhalter’s Deliveries and Long Shots

Sebastian Berhalter was integral to the USMNT’s set piece goals against Türkiye. | John Dorton/USSF/Getty Images

Auston Trusty isn’t known to be a goalscorer, yet when Berhalter delivered a corner kick right to his feet at the back post, Trusty got to celebrate his first international goal. Berhalter, apart from being an energetic engine in the midfield, is exceptional from set pieces. 

With the Whitecaps, he takes nearly every free kick and set piece and offers impressive delivery, whether as an out-swinging or in-swinging option. That delivery first showed itself on the international stage when he set up Chris Richards to score at last summer’s 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup but has percolated in glimpses in his minutes at this World Cup. 

Combine his ability to deliver a potent dead ball with his precision on passes from open play—he completed 56 passes against Türkiye—and he becomes an indispensable piece of the puzzle. He also has tremendous long-range shooting ability, having scored his goal against Türkiye from outside the box, as well as four of his six goals in MLS this season. 

“The ball just popped out, and I knew if I just stayed calm and just made a swinging motion, that I had a chance. I practice those a lot,” Berhalter told reporters of his goal after the Türkiye match. “Seeing that go in was awesome, and my first thought was to get the ball back, and let's go again.”

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Where Would Berhalter Play?

Sebastian Berhalter embraced the atmosphere in Seattle against Australia. | John Dorton/USSF/Getty Images

After coming in as a substitute for Christian Pulisic in a winger role to play 45 minutes against Paraguay, and after he saw just 16 minutes against Australia, there isn’t a clear path to where or when Berhalter could become more involved. 

His abilities are likely best used in the center of the park, and if he were to earn a start, it would likely mean dropping Malik Tillman, and letting Berhalter line up alongside Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie in the midfield. That will certainly be an option,  but it might take a quiet performance from Tillman to spark that shift. 

Pochettino has clearly become a Berhalter fan over the past year, and it is all but guaranteed that the son of former USMNT manager Gregg Berhalter will get minutes in the knockout rounds. The question remains, though, whether he gets enough to impress big Europeans clubs and earn a move beyond Vancouver, as his contract is set to expire at the end of the 2026 MLS campaign. 

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