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Gregg Berhalter cried. The Chicago Fire manager, former US men’s national team head coach, and two-time World Cup veteran watched from the stands at Los Angeles Stadium on June 26 as his son Sebastian scored his first World Cup goal for the United States against Türkiye. Twenty-four years after Gregg first appeared on the World Cup stage, the Berhalter family finally had their goal.
A family legacy written across three World Cups
Gregg Berhalter played for the USMNT in the 2002 and 2006 World Cups. During the 2002 quarterfinal against Germany, he had a goal disallowed due to an uncalled handball, a decision that still stings in the collective memory of American soccer fans. The World Cup goal that should have been a Berhalter milestone never counted.
Sebastian was an infant during that 2002 tournament. He grew up watching his father navigate the sport, eventually seeing Gregg take the reins as USMNT head coach for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Now, in 2026, with the tournament being co-hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico, Sebastian is the one wearing the jersey.
The younger Berhalter didn’t just score. He also contributed an assist in the match against Türkiye, helping equalize the score in a group stage contest. The performance was a statement from a player who had been building momentum with multiple goals and assists early in the 2026 MLS season with the Vancouver Whitecaps.
After the match, Gregg Berhalter called the moment “really special.”
Only the second US father-son World Cup duo
The Berhalters are now the second father-son duo from the United States to both appear at a World Cup, joining Claudio and Gio Reyna in that exclusive club. Claudio Reyna was a cornerstone of the USMNT during its most successful era, captaining the team in 2006. His son Gio broke through as a teenager, earning a spot on the 2022 World Cup roster under Gregg Berhalter’s management.
Sebastian carved out his own identity in MLS with Vancouver, earning his national team call-up on merit. His early 2026 season form with the Whitecaps made the selection feel inevitable. He put a Berhalter goal on the World Cup scoreboard, doing something his father never officially did.
Gregg Berhalter’s disallowed goal in 2002 was a footnote that nagged at his legacy. Sebastian’s goal in 2026 rewrites the family’s World Cup story entirely, on American soil, in a tournament the country is hosting.
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