Sebastian Berhalter named MLS Player of Matchday 38

VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC midfielder Sebastian Berhalter was voted the Major League Soccer Player of Matchday 38 after his performance in the 'Caps dominant 4-1 win over San Jose Earthquakes on Sunday.

Berhalter becomes the third Whitecaps FC player to earn MLS Player of the Matchday this season, joining Thomas Müller (Matchday 33) and Brian White (Matchday 8). This is the second time in club history that the 'Caps have had three different players named MLS Player of the Matchday in the same season (four players in 2013). Both Berhalter and Müller were also named to the MLS Team of the Matchday for Matchday 38.

This is the first time in his career that Berhalter has been named MLS Player of the Matchday. The 2025 MLS All-Star scored two goals and added one assist in the win over the San Jose (Watch MLS Wrap-Up Discuss His Performance Here). His brace marked the first multi-goal game in Berhalter’s regular-season career. In 2025, the United States men’s national team midfielder has already set MLS career bests in goals (four), assists (11), goal contributions (15), and minutes played (2,116). His 11 MLS assists are the most by a Whitecaps FC player in 2025 and his 15 MLS goal contributions trail only Brian White (17) for the most on the team. Berhalter is the only player in MLS this season to produce at least 10 assists and 70 key passes in fewer than 2,220 minutes.

Vancouver scored the opening goal of the match in the 39th minute when Berhalter picked out 18-year-old Rayan Elloumi with a terrific free kick, which the Homegrown tapped home at the back post (Watch Here). After Thomas Müller scored in the 57th minute, Berhalter got on the scoresheet in the 74th minute with a rocket from 29.17 yards that found the corner of the net (Watch Here). Despite San Jose getting a goal back, Berhalter capped off the 4-1 victory in style during second-half stoppage time as he laced another effort from outside the 18-yard box, which deflected off the post and in for his second goal of the night (Watch Here).

As the chase for the top seed in the Western Conference heats up, Whitecaps FC can regain the top position on Saturday when they travel to face Orlando City SC at Inter&Co Stadium (4:30 p.m. PT, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV and CKNW.com).

The 'Caps then return home to BC Place for their regular season finale on Saturday, October 18 against FC Dallas. Kickoff will be at 6 p.m. PT as part of Decision Day, with the match presented by Chevrolet. For all ticket options, visit whitecapsfc.com/tickets. For playoff tickets, go to whitecapsfc.com/playoffs.

The MLS Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob Ultra is selected each matchday of the regular season through both media and fan voting in a process conducted by MLS Communications. A panel of journalists from the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) comprises 75 percent of the vote, while an Instagram fan vote represents the remaining 25 percent of voting. NASR consists of members of print, television, radio, and online media.