At the last World Cup, held in Qatar in 2022, Gregg Berhalter was steering the ship of the U.S. men’s national team, en route to a round of 16 finish. This time around, Berhalter’s job is to be a proud father and club coach.The now-manager of the Chicago Fire will be in the stands rather than the sidelines at the 2026 World Cup next month, cheering on his 25-year-old son, Sebastian, as he reps the Stars and Stripes in his tournament debut. “The family is just over the moon,” says Berhalter, who also played in two World Cups himself for the USMNT (2002, 2006). “It’s incredible to see all the hard work pay off. In 2022, [Sebastian] was there as a fan, and he was there watching it. Three and a half years later, he’s in the squad, and it’s been really good for him.”Berhalter will also be cheering on Chicago Fire star goalkeeper Chris Brady, as the 22-year-old also makes his World Cup debut. Sebastian, of the Vancouver Whitecaps, and Brady make up two of eight MLS players on the USMNT roster, and two of 13 that spent time training in an MLS youth development academy.“This year, we saw a new level in [Brady]. He took his game to the next level, and he gets rewarded with a World Cup roster spot,” Berhalter adds. “He’s been performing really well for us, and it’s great to see a young goalkeeper get this opportunity.”Entrusting and developing younger players at soccer’s most prestigious level was always a priority for Berhalter when he was at the U.S.’s helm, leading the national team across two stints (2018–23 and 2023–24.)Four years ago, he included the likes of a 24-year-old Christian Pulisic, 24-year-old Weston McKennie and 23-year-old Tyler Adams in his World Cup squad. Now, USMNT’s “Golden Generation” has veteran experience on soccer’s grandest stage, which will be critically important to the squad’s ambition of a deep run on home soil this summer.“They’re men now,” Berhalter says. “The one thing I remember last time about the World Cup was the lack of experience. We only had one player from the roster [DeAndre Yedlin] who had been to a World Cup before, and now the players have the experience in them. 13 of them are returning World Cup players, so they have the knowledge, they have the experience to teach the rest of the group.“It’s a really exciting roster, and the age coupled with the experience is going to be a major factor for our success in this World Cup.”Berhalter Reacts to Pochettino’s Roster Selection, Email ScandalThe USMNT 2026 World Cup roster. | Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty ImagesCurrent USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino, who took over in Sept. 2024, unveiled his official 26-player World Cup roster on Tuesday, with a few glaring omissions. Pochettino selected just four true central midfielders, including Sebastian, compared to five center backs and five fullbacks. As a result, key U.S. midfielders Tanner Tessmann, Diego Luna and Aidan Morris were cut from the final roster, which raised several questions.“There’s a couple players that you may have projected to be in the roster that aren’t in the roster,” Berhalter says about Pochettino’s selection. “Maybe two or three either way, but to me, the roster was—I don’t want to say the word ‘safe’—but it was somewhat predictable based on what the coach was doing in the last six months. “You can see the methodology of how he was trying to build the team and then ultimately select the players to the World Cup.”Pochettino came under fire when it was discovered that the Argentine boss had chosen to email players that were cut, as opposed to calling them to deliver the disappointing news.“That is a personal choice that the coach makes, and he has his rationale for doing it one way, other coaches have rationale for doing it another way,” Berhalter says on the matter. “It comes down to what he is most comfortable with.”The USMNT have two tune-up friendlies before they kick off World Cup play in two weeks, facing Senegal on Sunday in Charlotte and Germany on June 6 in Chicago at the Chicago Fire’s home stadium.READ THE LATEST USMNT NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FCAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow