When it comes to the University of North Carolina and soccer, the women’s team is probably the first thing you think of. UNC women’s soccer has quite famously won 22 NCAA Tournament championships and sent countless players into the ranks of the US Women’s National Team. Many of those players have gone on to help the USWNT win World Cups and Olympic gold medals.
Men’s soccer at UNC hasn’t had quite the same level of success, but they have a couple national championships in their own right, and have sent
players into the professional ranks. On Tuesday, we got some fun news about one of those players.
On Tuesday, manager Mauricio Pochettino and the US men’s national team released their roster for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup. Due to leaks, some of the surprise had been taken out of the official reveal, but it’s still a big day. As it came down, the US roster will include one former Tar Heel player in the form of midfielder Sebastian Berhalter.
Berhalter played just one season in Chapel Hill in 2019, making 16 appearances. After that season, he elected to join the professional ranks and joined the Columbus Crew, where his dad, fellow former Tar Heel Gregg, was the coach. Gregg then went on to coach the USMNT, including at the 2022 World Cup, where they made the Round of 16.
However, Sebastian’s ascension has come after his father left the USMNT role. Having played for the MLS’s Vancouver Whitecaps since 2022, he received his first call-up to the national team in 2025, under current manager Pochettino. He played for the team at the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup, helping the team to the final, where he started in a losing effort against Mexico.
The USMNT will have homefield advantage in this summer’s World Cup, as they along with Canada and Mexico are hosting the event. They are part of Group D in the competition, where they will be matched up against Paraguay, Australia, and Turkey. A finish in the top two in the group will get them a berth into the second round, which will begin the knockout stage bracket to crown the champions. The US’s chances to win the entire tournament are probably slim, but they’ll certainly be hopeful of making a decent run in the knockout stages. Best of luck to Sebastian and company when the action gets going in a couple weeks.
