World Cup bumps come in all shapes and sizes and for U.S. men's national team players Sebastian Berhalter and Max Arfsten, it included a one-way ticket to England.
The international teammates are now colleagues at Middlesbrough, the pair joining the Championship club within days of each other. For Berhalter and Arfsten, the moves to Boro mark the latest step in their separate but concurrent upward trajectories over the last year and change. Both were introduced to the senior national team set-up in 2025 as head coach Mauricio Pochettino underwent a player pool expansion project, eventually turning those opportunities into a spot on this summer's World Cup team that made a run to the round of 16.
After spending the entirety of their careers in MLS, the next step for each of them is to translate their talents to an entirely new league and to a team with ambitions of earning promotion to the Premier League by spring. They will have a happy home in Middlesbrough and not only because fellow U.S. international and one-time Columbus Crew player Aidan Morris is already on the club's books. Boro's style of play under manager Kim Hellberg should make for a smoother transition as the 25-year-olds enter their peak years., the bulk of which might be spent maintaining their standing in the USMNT's player pool as a crop of young players attempt to break through in time for the 2030 World Cup.
The pair are poised to play sizable roles at Boro this season and could make their competitive debuts as early as Friday in EFL Cup first round action against Wrexham (3 p.m., Paramount+), each likely eager to build upon a standout period in their respective careers.
An ideal platform for their skillsets
Arfsten and Berhalter played varying roles for the USMNT's World Cup team – the former played just one minute in this summer's tournament while the latter started one game, was a frequently used option off the bench and even scored in the team's 3-2 defeat to Turkiye. Their inclusion on Pochettino's roster, though, was a signal that they each met the style brief as the USMNT began to perfect the coach's fluid, attack-minded tactical preferences. Hellberg, who joined Boro last November and quickly integrated his style of play en route to a spot in the promotion playoff final, has similar tactical tendencies.
"My philosophy has always been to be progressive - to take control of the game, win the ball back quickly, play with quality and believe in ourselves rather than relying on opponents' mistakes," Hellberg said in an interview last spring with Sky Sports. "That has been clear from day one."
Arfsten seems well-poised to insert himself into Boro's lineup, Hellberg's three-at-the-back setup offering an opening for the wingback. The California native is vulnerable defensively and will likely need to improve upon that to be a guaranteed starter, but his attack-minded preferences should suit Boro just fine, especially if he can deliver in terms of end product -- he notched 20 goals and 19 assists in three-plus years in Columbus, where he played 114 games.
Though Berhalter arrives in the Championship with a bigger profile than Arfsten, the circumstances that await him differ somewhat. The role Hayden Hackney leaves behind in midfield after his transfer to Everton likely awaits for Berhalter, who would play next to Morris after their shared stints with the U.S. team and in the Crew's academy (and following that one TikTok set to a remix of Taylor Swift's "Love Story"). Berhalter has a prowess on set pieces that will be of tremendous value and will not shy away from the sometimes physical nature of the Championship. He is not always the type of player that commands the midfield, though, so following in Hackney's footsteps will be a tall task.
The upside for each, though, is high. Boro were one of the Championship's most effective and entertaining teams after Hellberg's hire last fall. They ranked inside the league's top four in goals scored after he took charge with 52 from 55.23 expected goals, a figure in which they led the Championship. Both Berhalter and Arfsten make sense for the team's ambitions and should the two become standouts for the ambitious side, it will go a long way in each of them proving they can hack it at high levels of the team for the long-term -- and perhaps earn them more serious roles with the USMNT going forward.
How to watch Middlesbrough vs. Wrexham
Date: Friday, August 6 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
Location: Riverside Stadium -- Middlesbrough, England
Live stream: Paramount+
Odds: Middlesbrough -161; Draw +290; Wrexham +350
