TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Signing

A familiar name will be on the Columbus Crew SC roster in 2020 as Sebastian Berhalter was signed to a Homegrown Player deal on Friday. Berhalter is the son of former Crew head coach and current US men's national team Gregg Berhalter.

Berhalter joins the Crew after a season playing college soccer at North Carolina. He primarily plays as a central midfielder.

“We are excited to welcome Sebastian to the Crew SC First Team,” said president and GM Tim Bezbatchenko in a statement. “As a longtime member of the Crew SC Academy, Sebastian is someone who understands the values and ideology of our Club. We are happy to see him join the professional ranks after a successful year at the college level and look forward to his continued development with the Crew.”

Berhalter made 16 appearances for the North Carolina Tar Heels as a freshman in 2019. Before his time with the Tar Heels, Berhalter played for Crew SC Academy from 2014-2019, featuring for the Under-13/14, U-15/16, U-16/17 and U-18/19 sides. The midfielder made a total of 103 appearances (97 starts) and scored 11 goals for the Black & Gold.

Notably, Berhalter helped Crew SC Academy finish third at the U.S. Soccer Development Academy U-19 Tournament for the 2017-2018 season. The midfielder joined the Crew SC First Team during its preseason camps in 2019, featuring in a Carolina Challenge Cup match against the Charleston Battery on February 20, 2019.

At the international level, Berhalter has featured for the U.S. U-16 Men’s National Team.