Former USMNT Boss Gregg Berhalter’s Reaction to Son’s Penalty Kick Is Priceless | OneFootball

Gregg Berhalter may not have gotten the U.S. men’s national team to a quarterfinal matchup at last year’s Copa América, but he was in attendance for his son Sebastian Berhalter’s showing on Sunday.

Now head coach of Chicago Fire FC, the elder Berhalter made his way to Minneapolis, Minnesota, after his club’s 3–2 win over Charlotte FC on Saturday, to watch the USMNT take on Costa Rica in the Gold Cup quarterfinal.

While the USMNT got a scare in the match, falling behind in the 12th minute and surrendering a 2–1 lead in the 79th, they managed to push through penalty kicks and book a ticket to the tournament’s semifinal against Guatemala.

Yet, not everything went to plan for Sebastian, who had previously been amongst the standouts in new head coach Mauricio Pochettino’s squad.

As he stepped up to take a penalty in the shootout, he skied it into the stands, leaving the Americans on the brink of elimination, and goalkeeper Matt Freese to come up with outstanding saves.

However, the Concacaf broadcast cameras panned directly to Gregg after the shot, and his emotions shifted from the excitement of a proud father to the fear of a USMNT supporter in an instant.

Luckily for the Berhalters and the USMNT, they navigated their way through the penalty shootout, thanks to a winning strike from Damion Downs and stellar goalkeeping from Freese, keeping the hopes of an eighth Gold Cup title alive.

Outside of his first significant showing with the USMNT, Sebastian has been enjoying a breakout year with Vancouver Whitecaps FC in MLS, helping them to the top of the MLS standings and to beat Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami CF in the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals.

The USMNT's semifinal match against Guatemala is set for July 2 at 7:00 p.m. ET in St. Louis.