Ream (Charlotte FC), Berhalter (UNC) Among
Prominent ACC/NC World Cup Contributors
By David Glenn
North Carolina Sports Network
(last updated July 6, 2026)
The World Cup is the most-watched sporting event in the world, and a handful of soccer stars with connections to the Atlantic Coast Conference and/or the state of North Carolina have been enjoying that bright spotlight this summer, including four players in key roles for host countries Canada and the United States.
The Team USA lineup includes 38-year-old team captain Tim Ream (photo above), who plays professionally for Charlotte FC of Major League Soccer, and top reserve Sebastian Berhalter, who played college soccer at UNC and since has become an MLS All-Star for the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Team Canada’s starting 11 typically includes former Syracuse star Tajon Buchanan at forward and former Wake Forest star Alistair Johnston on defense. Buchanan plays professionally for Villarreal in Spain’s top league. Johnston competes at the pro level for Celtic FC, which recently captured the 2025-26 Scottish Premiership championship.
Ream and Buchanan are playing in their second consecutive World Cup, having previously represented their native counties at the 2022 event in Qatar.
The Americans, who earned their way into the knockout stage by finishing first in Group D, beat Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-0 in the Round of 32 to advance to the Sweet 16. In group competition, Team USA defeated Paraguay (4-1) and Australia (2-0), then used a lineup of mostly reserves in a 3-2 loss to already-eliminated Türkiye in a match that had no impact on the final standings.
The Canadians also reached the knockout stage, but their second-place finish in Group B meant they had to leave their homeland for their Round of 32 matchup against South Africa. Playing near Los Angeles, Canada posted a 1-0 victory — in front of another overwhelmingly supportive crowd — that gave the nation its first-ever trip to the World Cup’s Sweet 16.
Entering this year’s World Cup, the United States (#15) had the second-highest FIFA ranking of the three host countries, slightly behind Mexico (#9) and well ahead of Canada (#32). During the knockout stage, Mexico defeated #24 Ecuador 2-0 but then fell 3-2 to #4 England, with both matches in Mexico City.
While the Americans and Canadians were favored in the Round of 32 over Bosnia-Herzegovina (#61) and South Africa (#52), respectively, they both knew they would be underdogs if they continued to advance in the knockout stage of the tournament.
The USA/Canada half of the bracket also still includes #2 France, #3 Spain, #6 Morocco, #8 Portugal and #10 Belgium.
In the Round of 16, Canada fell 3-0 to Morocco on Saturday in Houston. Team USA will face Belgium on Monday (8 p.m., FOX/Telemundo) in Seattle.
Ream played every minute of Team USA’s recent victories over Paraguay, Australia and Bosnia, anchoring the defense and limiting opponents’ chances in front of starting goalkeeper Matt Freese.
“I am so grateful that (Ream) is with us, because he is a great captain — not only on the field, if not maybe more important, off the field,” Team USA coach Mauricio Pochettino said. “He has the experience, he has the capacity to be the leader that we want, the positive leader, acting and reflecting on the field and off the field.”
Berhalter came off the bench in each of Team USA’s group-stage contests, then again versus Bosnia. He has averaged almost 40 minutes per game and notched his first World Cup goal in the Türkiye match.
In 2022, Berhalter attended the World Cup in Qatar from an unusual vantage point. His father, former UNC star and Team USA player Gregg Berhalter, was then the head coach for the American side. Sebastian sat in the stands with his siblings and his mother, former UNC soccer player Roz (Santana) Berhalter. Gregg and Roz met in Chapel Hill in the early 1990s, during their college playing days.
When Pochettino put together a group-chat video in May, welcoming this year’s 26 selections to Team USA, the entire Berhalter family was overcome with emotions when Sebastian got the call.
“My mom started crying right away, and my sister started crying, and then I started crying,” Sebastian Berhalter said. “I was just telling them I love them and thank you so much for all the sacrifices over the years, especially my mom. …
“It’s amazing. Four years ago, I was in the stands, waiting for my pops to come up (after a game). Now they’re waiting for me.”
Players From Teams Participating In Knockout Stage
Player, Age, College (Years), Pro Club/League, World Cup National Team
Sebastian Berhalter, 25, UNC (2019), Vancouver/MLS, United States
Tajon Buchanan, 27, Syracuse (2017-18), Villarreal/Spain, Canada
Alistair Johnston, 27, Wake Forest (2018-19), Celtic/Scotland, Canada
Mark McKenzie, 27, Wake Forest (2017), Toulouse/France, United States
Tim Ream, 38, Saint Louis (2006-09), Charlotte/MLS, United States
Miles Robinson, 29, Syracuse (2015-16), Cincinnati/MLS, United States
Players From Teams Eliminated During Group Stage
Player, Age, College (Years), Pro Club/League, World Cup National Team
Mohammad Abu Al-Nadi, 25, Notre Dame/Pitt (2019-22), Corvinul/Romania, Jordan
Joe Bell, 27, Virginia (2017-19), Viking/Norway, New Zealand
Derrick Etienne Jr., 29, Virginia (2015), Toronto/MLS, Haiti
