USMNT’s Three Best Players of the Week: Unsung MLS Standout Makes World Cup Case

The USMNT takes on Belgium and Portugal later this month.

Sebastian Berhalter is fighting to work his way up Mauricio Pochettino’s depth chart. | Elizabeth Ruiz Ruiz/Getty Images

Just one week remains until the top U.S. soccer players swap out their club colors for the red, white and blue for March international friendlies against Belgium and Portugal ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. 

With the tournament drawing closer and this month’s matches offering vital preparation against some of the world’s best teams, the pressure on players only increases. With the abundance of options for nearly every position, the players need to be in the best form at the right time if they want to have any hope of contending for an important role on Mauricio Pochettino’s squad. 

Luckily for the USMNT, there are some players in top form right now, both in Europe and on North American soil. 

Here, Sports Illustrated breaks down the three best performances by U.S. players this weekend, with a focus on those likely called up to the USMNT later this month. 

---

---

Joe Scally

Joe Scally may be the favorite to start at right wingback for the USMNT this month. | Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto/Getty Images

With the USMNT needing a player to fill in for Sergiño Dest at right back or right wing-back through the March international window, there is plenty of opportunity for either Villarreal’s Alex Freeman or Borussia Mönchengladbach’s Joe Scally. 

The two offer very different aspects, but after this weekend, Scally may be the forerunner to take the position. While Freeman’s skillset is his tenacity and speed as a winger-minded fullback, Scally has shown his progression as a versatile right defender this season—and exemplified his attacking developments this weekend. 

Taking on St. Pauli in a bottom-of-the-table Bundesliga clash, Scally played as a right wing-back in Mönchengladbach’s 3-5-2, but was more offensively focused than usual. 

After a curling free kick from Kevin Stöger put his side up 1–0, the American orchestrated the second goal with a perfectly timed run. As seen below, he takes advantage of his inside lane while the defender had his eye on the pass, with no focus on his run. It allowed Scally, not known for his speed, to tuck in behind and cancel his marker out of the play, before patiently playing a pass back for Franck Honorat for a first-time finish. 

Joe Scally hid behind a defender before eliminating him from the play with his run onto the through ball. | Courtesy Bundesliga

Counterattacking moments like that are the perfect example of how an intelligent wing-back can elevate—if not drive—an attack. However, whether he can play that role for the USMNT is a larger question, considering it takes plenty of practice to have players on the same page and able to read those runs. 

For example, if this goalscoring play happened in a USMNT game, there’s every chance a winger might take an extra touch to work the ball centrally, rather than seeing the quick pass and run for Scally. 

Regardless, Scally’s skillset all season has shown that he can be an outstanding wing-back in the right system—now, it’s whether he’s thriving from his personal excellence or if he is simply a product of said system. 

---

Malik Tilllman

Malik Tillman is one of the most versatile players in the U.S. player pool. | Marcel ter Bals/DeFodi Images/DeFodi/Getty Images

Malik Tillman’s versatility is what makes him so valuable to both Bayer Leverkusen and the USMNT, and that was on show in a 1–1 draw with Bayern Munich this weekend. 

Over the last several weeks, he has played as an attacking midfield pivot in a 3-4-2-1, with his partner consistently switching between Martin Terrier and Ibrahim Maza, who each played one half on the weekend, while the American played the full 90 minutes. 

While Tillman missed a one-on-one chance and his striker, Patrik Schick failed to convert on multiple opportunities, the overall effort stood out. Not only did he float around the attacking areas, but he consistently dropped back to clog midfield spaces and close opportunities for Bayern’s Lennart Karl and Nicolas Jackson, the latter of whom ended up seeing red.

Yet, Tillman’s most vital standout piece in the match may have been the sheer progressive length of his dribbles. While players often need just two or three touches to be credited with an official dribble, many don’t break defensive lines or make much traction—Tilllman, though, had a pair of potentially game-changing dribbles, as showcased on the map below. 

Malik Tillman’s dribble map against FC Bayern Munich. | SofaScore

Likely to return to the USMNT this week, his best position might just be out wide. It’s where he’s most involved, and in Pochettino’s 3-5-2, potentially the widest central midfield option could be where he makes the biggest impact on both sides of the play.

---

Sebastian Berhalter

Sebastian Berhalter had a trio of goal contributions for Vancouver on Sunday. | Elizabeth Ruiz Ruiz/Getty Images

What can be said about Sebastian Berhalter’s form at this point? Through four weeks, he’s the MLS assist leader with four assists and also has two goals to his name. This weekend, he netted a goal and added a pair of assists while continuing to thrive on set pieces in a 6–0 Vancouver Whitecaps win over Minnesota United. 

A likely call-up for the March international window, Berhalter is also likely to make Pochettino’s World Cup roster if he maintains this form in MLS. At the same time, a summer move could be on the horizon, as his Vancouver contract expires at the end of the season and he is likely to have suitors in Europe. 

With the Whitecaps, the American has thrived in a double-pivot alongside Paraguay international and DP midfielder Andrés Cubas in a 4-2-3-1. Against the Loons, Berhalter posted four tackles and four recoveries—yet, it's the tenacity with which he chases down those tackles that stands out the most, as well as his ability to quickly progress the ball moments after. 

Take a look at this second goal the Whitecaps scored, in which he earned an MLS secondary assist. 

After the Whitecaps regained possession, he dropped back into an open space after making it by standing between two defenders. The keen movement opened up a short passing lane for Édier Ocampo, as shown on the two sides of the image below. 

Sebastian Berhalter (circled) opened up space before exploiting it with a pass to create a goal. | Courtesy of Apple TV

After receiving the pass, Berhalter, who already knows Emmanuel Sabbi is making a run up the right wing, chipped a perfectly weighted ball over the gap he created for Sabbi to play into Brian White, leading to the team’s second goal.

While that play stands out, he regularly shows other similar aspects on nearly every pass he receives. Additionally, Berhalter’s ability to hound players alongside Cubas makes the two an incredibly potent defensive partnership in MLS. 

With those skillsets combined with outstanding delivery from set pieces, as seen on this goal below, Berhalter brings a game-changing element to any match. 

Dangerous service from Berhalter.
Final touch from Laborda.@WhitecapsFC ALL OVER Minnesota at home. 😮 pic.twitter.com/rmifKP4bUB

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) March 15, 2026

With the USMNT squad for the March international window set to be announced this week, Berhalter’s done everything he can to be on the list—if not among the starters. 

---