‘What magic pill did you take?’ - Vancouver Whitecaps star Sebastian Berhalter on his rise with the USMNT

The thing about a breakout year is that it's hard to really appreciate it while you're in it. Berhalter understands that well. Starting with CONCACAF Champions Cup in February and rolling right through to MLS Cup in December, there was little time to breathe, let alone reflect on it all.

It's why Berhalter didn't rewatch his USMNT performance against Uruguay until weeks after it happened. There was simply no time to reflect; only to keep going.

"I ended up watching the game during the offseason," he says. "I didn't watch it until then. My head was like, 'Okay, there are games with Vancouver, a quick turnaround, I'm not going to dwell on that too much'. Watching it back, it was so fun. It's fun to be part of that game. Everything in that was great, and it really was a cool moment."

There were countless cool moments throughout 2025. What Berhalter helped build with the Vancouver Whitecaps was incredible, even if runs to the CONCACAF Champions Cup and MLS Cup finals ended in heartbreak. As part of that, he earned an MLS All-Star nod and a Best XI selection for his four-goal, 11-assist season. By comparison, Berhalter had amassed just four goals and six assists over the previous five seasons combined.

It all led to a USMNT breakthrough under his father's successor, Mauricio Pochettino. That breakthrough was the result of Berhalter seizing his opportunity with both hands. He earned his first nine caps, starting with his summer Gold Cup call-up, and scored his first goal from a stunning set piece against Uruguay to close 2025.

"You reflect on things, and you see how you can get better," Berhalter said of his big year. "You see the good things, the bad things. You see what made you successful and what things you could have done better. There are always things to improve upon. My game personally, there are little details that I can be better at. I know, once I get better at those things, I can keep elevating my fame even more. So, yeah, it's a good thing to have had that year, and it's a good thing to be able to reflect and still try to improve."

For all of his improvements on the field, Berhalter insists the biggest changes have come off of it. That's why he's now at a level that seems unfathomable just 12 short months ago.

Throughout everything, Berhalter has been fairly open about the path he's taken. He spoke to GOAL about it last spring. There was a very real point in his life where he thought he was done with soccer simply because he would never be good enough to play it at the level he wanted.

Those thoughts are long gone now, and both the Whitecaps and the USMNT will be thankful they are. However, while that thought process is well behind Berhalter, it does linger on as a reminder of how far he's come, and how far he still can go as a player and person.

"I was gonna quit at one point," he says. "I felt like I was at the bottom of the barrel. I think the mental health journey is important, too. That's something that shouldn't go understated: it's tough, man, and you're by yourself sometimes. Even though you have a great support system, you're the one going through it, and that's not easy. You just have to keep being yourself and keep finding yourself and learning what makes you you. I think that's what I've been trying to do these last few years."

The biggest thing Berhalter now has on his side? Experience. After years of dreaming about playing in big games, he has now. The 24-year-old midfielder played in four different finals with both Vancouver and the national team last year. Those types of moments change a player, particularly one who, just a few years ago, was desperate to play in any game at all.

"There have always been ups and downs, and that's normal in a soccer career," he says. "It's been good because I think the biggest thing is experience, especially in games. When you don't get that, it's hard to keep going and keep pushing yourself. You're feeling less confident and less courageous, and you need more courage to step out there and know you can deliver and play well. 

"I just feel like I'm in a zone now where I understand the game, so how do I bring that to the next level? How do I really help the team win games and be the player and person I know I can be? It's been a long journey, but the lows have really helped me keep getting those highs."

Some of the biggest highs of 2025, no doubt, came with the USMNT. All throughout the Gold Cup, Berhalter could be seen with the biggest smile on his face. He grew up loving the USMNT, both as a fan and as the son of the team's coach. After so many years of hoping, he finally got a chance to be a part of it on his own terms.

Now, Berhalter is, in a way, just like everyone else. He's fighting to impress Pochettino, who has taken careful care in establishing the USMNT player pool. There are no guarantees and no World Cup locks; only players fighting for their chance.

"No one can feel safe and no one can feel that they are going to be [on the roster], even the names that you say: [Christian] Pulisic or Tyler Adams," Pochettino said back in November in the days leading up to the Uruguay win. "I think the federation is bigger than the names that [are in] the national team...The players need to show up and step up and say, 'Yes we have also the opportunity to be part of the roster for the next World Cup.'"

Berhalter is embracing that challenge. As he established himself during the Gold Cup, a tournament that proved to be a culture-changer for the USMNT, Berhalter built up a relationship with Pochettino and his staff. Now the midfielder, like many of his teammates, feels like he gets it and can step into camp knowing exactly what Pochettino wants from everyone called in.

"He does demand a lot from you," Berhalter says. "It's not just about going out and doing your own thing. There are some things you need to do, on and off the field, that are the standard. He doesn't always tell you what they are, but you need to be doing them. That's been amazing. 

"I think we understand him a lot better now, and he understands us a lot better. We have a great relationship between him and the players. It's been fun being in camp, and that's a great feeling knowing that, when you go to camp, you're going to see your buddies and you're going to work hard and go and win games, too."

There's plenty for Berhalter to be excited about in 2026. Eyes are on him, particularly in Vancouver. After making it all the way to an MLS Cup finale last season, there's real belief that the Whitecaps can go one step further this season. With so many key players returning and a full season of Thomas Muller, the Whitecaps are expected to be one of the best in MLS once again.

If that happens, and if Berhalter remains a key part of that pursuit, the rest will take care of itself when it comes to the USMNT. The midfield race is crowded, yes, but Berhalter is a part of it, at the very least. His ability to change games via set pieces cannot be understated. Nor can his attitude and commitment to the cause. He is the son of a former USMNT coach, after all.

But, while everyone is mapping out World Cup rosters and projecting MLS seasons, Berhalter simply isn't. He's not necessarily reflecting on 2025 anymore, either. If there's one thing Berhalter has learned throughout his journey, it's that what life looked like yesterday might not be what life will look like tomorrow. All he can do, then, is focus on the here and now.

"I'm not looking too far ahead," he concludes. "I'm just taking it one day at a time and just trying to get better each day. It's not anything more than that."

Every day is a new chance to add to the story, one that, as Berhalter says, continues to build as he goes.