The time has come for the Loons to take flight to Canada once again. And yes, Vancouver may be in British Columbia, but it turns out it’s also the home of the USMNT. No, not the U.S. Men’s National Team, silly! The U.S. Men’s National Trio: Tristan Blackmon, Sebastian Berhalter, and Brian White.
These guys are no joke. All of them netted goals on Matchday 3 against the Portland Timbers (and secured their place on Team of the Matchday alongside Head Coach Jesper Sørenson). All of them landed on the MLS All-Star team in 2025. And all of them might just earn a World Cup appearance this year if they’re able to impress Mauricio Pochettino ahead of the summer. Let’s take a deeper dive into just what makes this trio so special.
Tristan Blackmon
The 2025 MLS Defender of the Year logged eight clearances in his last game alone, plus a goal to kick off the second half. (With his face. If you haven’t seen this, you need to.) Tristan Blackmon has been with the ‘Caps since 2022 and has established himself as an absolutely dominant presence in back, because he can play anywhere on that line. As far as defenders go, he’s a paragon of versatility. In 2025, he found a place in the MLS Best XI in addition to his All-Star status. This guy does not pull his punches, and he’s going to prove quite the obstacle for Minnesota’s attack this weekend. So far he’s made two appearances with the national team, but it’s in his favor that the USMNT is lacking depth in the center back position. If he can use these months ahead of the World Cup to really establish himself as a contender, he might just wind up filling one of those spots.
Sebastian Berhalter
Not only did Sebastian Berhalter score on Matchday 3, but he also assisted twice. When it comes to skilled positioning, brilliantly aimed crosses, and fancy footwork, he’s as impressive as any midfielder on the continent. Like Blackmon, he’s been in Vancouver since 2022, and has contributed 21 assists and nine goals for the club in MLS play in his tenure (including playoffs). He also landed in the Best XI alongside Blackmon last season. He’s got the most national team minutes of this trio, with nine caps and one goal. Unfortunately for Berhalter, he plays where the USMNT has the most depth, which makes his mission to prove himself to Pochettino all the more difficult. But you can’t look at a play like this one and tell me this man isn’t motivated.
Brian White
For a good stretch of last season, Brian White was in the running for the Golden Boot. He’s a scoring machine — actually, to quantify that, he’s the highest-scoring North American in MLS, and he’s logged 98 goal contributions across all competitions for the ‘Caps since his signing in 2021. Two more, and he’ll be the first Whitecap to reach 100 (in the club’s MLS era). After scoring 16 goals in the regular season last year, White has picked up where he left off, already logging three goals in as many matchdays in 2026 after a brace last weekend. Internationally, he’s made eight appearances with the USMNT and scored once. As far as striker prospects go, the national team has no shortage, but White could be the one to up his tally in June if he can outplay a number of USMNT forwards (including Folarin Balogun, Patrick Agyemang, and Josh Sargent, among others).
With that trio in combination with Yohei Takaoka and Thomas Müller, Vancouver has certainly earned that spot at the top of the standings alongside San Diego. Sørenson is so far looking at another very successful season at the helm, and Minnesota will really have to buckle down to beat a powerhouse Whitecaps side this weekend.
