Portugal is preparing to face the United States in a friendly scheduled for the early hours of this Tuesday (00:00), April 31, in Atlanta. On the North American side, a name with a special meaning may appear on the field: Sebastian Berhalter.
The 24-year-old midfielder is the son of Gregg Berhalter, a former international who represented the USA at the 2002 and 2006 World Cups. and who later led the team in the 2022 World Cup. The possibility of his son following exactly the same path is yet another example of an old, very Portuguese expression: “son of a fish knows how to swim” — or, in this case, he knows how to kick.
Sebastian practically grew up in the environment of a World Championship. He was present at three finals while accompanying his father and became accustomed from an early age to seeing football as a central part of family life. Now, after standing out in the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2025 and gaining space in recent squads for the North American team, the chance to also play in a World Cup is approaching, possibly as early as 2026. Along the way, he scored in a friendly against Uruguay, reinforcing his candidacy for a place among the chosen ones.
The Berhalters’ story is not unique. Over the decades, international football has shown that Talent and inspiration often pass from generation to generation. France had Jean Djorkaeff and Youri Djorkaeff; Spain had Miguel Ángel Alonso and Xabi Alonso; Denmark saw Peter Schmeichel and Kasper Schmeichel shine; and France repeated the phenomenon again with Lilian Thuram and Marcus Thuramamong many others.
There are other striking examples in the history of the World Cup, such as Cesare Maldini and Paolo Maldini, Pablo Forlán and Diego Forlán, or Danny Blind and Daley Blind. In the United States, this tradition has already been continued with Claudio Reyna and Gio Reyna — and Sebastian could be the next name to join this list.
If he participates in the friendly against Portugal, it will be another symbolic step in a journey built on family memory.
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