There are three things Sebastian Berhalter does in order to perform at his best. Getting a good night’s sleep, of course. Reading – he’s currently digging his way through ‘The Light We Give.’ And thirdly, being diligent in his routine.
This part Berthalter maps out carefully. The Vancouver Whitecaps and U.S. men’s national team midfielder keeps a data diary of his training and stays on top of his recovery. At home he uses a hyperbaric chamber, Normatec boots and a red light mat to make sure his body is right where he wants it to be.
“I’m not saying those things make a difference, but for me, if there’s anything I can be doing to keep my mind and my body feeling as good as it possibly can, then I’m going to do it,” Berhalter told me ahead of the Whitecap’s preseason training. “Even just spending time with friends, going for walks and just being myself.”
Berhalter, 24, is among the pool of MLS players hoping to make the 2026 World Cup roster. USA coach Mauricio Pochettino can only take 26 players to the tournament, which begins June 11. Somewhere around 17-20 of those guys play overseas, including the likes of forward Christian Pulisic and midfielders Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams. That doesn’t leave many spots for MLS-based players.
Sebastian Berhalter is a handful of MLS-based players with a shot of making the USA’s World Cup squad. (Photo by Tim Warner/USSF/Getty Images)
But Berhalter, along with his MLS comrades, is doing everything possible to stay sharp and ready to get called up. The next international window in March – which also happens to be the last camp before Pochettino makes his final World Cup roster decisions – is crucial. It will include matches against European powers Belgium (March 28) and Portugal (March 31) in Atlanta. And for all intents and purposes, if you’re going to make the final World Cup roster, it’s best you get called up in March.
Pochettino said as much in a January conference call with reporters.
“The idea is that the World Cup will start in March,” Pochettino said.
The manager also delivered a message to his players in November after the squad’s last training camp when he said they “need to do everything to be in the best form to be selected for March.”
Easier said for European players, who are in the thick of their respective club seasons. But as it pertains to MLS hopefuls like Berhalter, it’s a little more challenging being that most of them have been in the offseason since early November and preseason recently started. The MLS season begins Feb. 21, meaning they will only have a handful of mathes under their belts before the March window.
So what can guys do to stay in Pochettino’s World Cup plans? The USA’s staff doesn’t give players specific direction or instruction, though they’re always around as a resource.
“They trust us and know we got to the national team for a reason,” Berhalter told me. “There’s nothing regimented. People have different ways of doing things. Some people like more recovery, some people do less, and they feel just as good. Everyone has their own things and different things they like.”
Berhalter took a week and a half off after starting for the Whitecaps in their MLS Cup final loss to Inter Miami on Dec. 6. He focused on eating clean and not pushing his body much physically aside from yoga just to stay active. After his self-allotted downtime, he was back to individual training sessions and getting touches on the ball. He ramped up the intensity over the next few weeks, writing down a list of what he wanted to accomplish each day in a notebook. He created a plan that included gym sessions, meetings, and meditation, and every time he’d complete something on the schedule, he’d check off the box he drew beside it.
“It’s a system I’ve been using for awhile now and I feel like it’s something that keeps me accountable because I want to go back to the box and I want to check them off,” Berhalter said. “It’s satisfying to see at the end of the week that they’re all checked off. It’s about prioritizing things that I want to improve on or off the field and that keeps me organized.”
Max Arfsten will want to strong start to the MLS season to solidify a potential World Cup spot. (Photo by Stephen Nadler/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)
