Sebastian Berhalter's hot streak continues: goal and assist in USA's 4-2 win over Chile

Four months. That's all it took for Sebastian Berhalter to go from being just another MLS midfielder to arguably the most talked about name in the US Men's National Team. In June he made his World Cup debut and produced two goal contributions. In August he left Vancouver Whitecaps for Middlesbrough in the English Championship and delivered an assist in his debut. Through his first 10 matches with the club, he already has two goals and two assists. Far from slowing down, the streak keeps building.

On Tuesday in St. Louis, the United States beat Chile 4-2 in a friendly, and Berhalter was once again at the heart of it all: a goal and an assist, just as he had done a few days earlier in the 4-1 win over Peru. That's eight goals across the two matches, and he had a direct hand in half of them. Nobody had him on their radar just a year ago: at the start of 2025 he hadn't even made his senior national team debut, and his profile (developed in MLS, without the pedigree of Europe's top leagues) didn't exactly scream "breakout star."

Head coach Mauricio Pochettino didn't hide his admiration for the midfielder's versatility.

"He can play on the left, he can play on the right, he can play as a box to box midfielder, but also as a holding midfielder, he can play as a 10, in different positions, and he's always very happy to do anything for the national team. Having a player like him is priceless."Mauricio Pochettino

A new generation makes its mark

But Berhalter wasn't the only standout in St. Louis. With the United States leading 3-2, Borussia Dortmund's young winger Mathis Albert sealed the 4-2 result with a stoppage time goal that also landed him in the history books: at 17 years and 131 days old, he became the youngest goal scorer in the modern era (since 1988) for the national team, breaking the record previously held by Christian Pulisic (17 years and 253 days).

The starting lineup that took the field against Chile had an average age of 23 years and 25 days, the youngest since Pochettino took charge in September 2024. One of those young players, 18 year old Julian Hall of the New York Red Bulls, scored the team's second goal and became the youngest player to score in his first two matches with the senior national team. He had also scored in the win over Peru.

Hall had nothing but praise for his teammates and for his club coach, Michael Bradley.

"It's been incredible sharing the field with players that good, and they've put me in the right spots. I'm just trying to do as much as I can to finish. We have a lot of young guys on the team, including Adri (Mehmeti), and he's helped us so much in our development. He's a big part of the reason why he and I are here right now."Julian Hall

Pochettino, for his part, asked for patience and respect for this generational shift.

"Sometimes I feel like I believe more in the talent of American players than some people who talk in the media. It's very important that people trust the process, trust the player, and respect him."Mauricio Pochettino

Pulisic wasn't called up for this window, in which Pochettino chose to bet on new faces, including 17 year old Cavan Sullivan of the Philadelphia Union, who came on as a substitute Tuesday. In total, 11 players, including Sullivan and seven other teenagers, made their senior national team debuts in the match against Peru.

Two friendlies remain in this September and October window: Saturday against Mexico in Arizona and October 6 against Canada. For Berhalter, extending his hot streak against the historic rival would be the best way to remind everyone that, despite all the buzz around the teenage talents, he's the one driving the conversation right now.