Could CanMNT hopeful Jeevan Badwal earn a bigger role for Vancouver Whitecaps after Sebastian Berhalter’s departure?

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The Vancouver Whitecaps are on the verge of losing a key piece of their team, as Sebastian Berhalter is reportedly set to move to EFL Championship side Middlesbrough on a transfer, per the Athletic’s Tom Bogert.  

🇺🇸🔴 BREAKING: Middlesbrough is set to sign USMNT midfielder Sebastian Berhalter from the Vancouver Whitecaps, per sources.

Deal agreed. Berhalter off to Boro.

Fee around $2m, rather than Berhalter leaving for free in 5 months when contract expires. https://t.co/bMlKvumSee

— Tom Bogert (@tombogert) July 23, 2026

After breaking out in a big way over the past 16 months, as he went from a role player to one of the best players in MLS and part of the US’s squad for the 2026 World Cup, Berhalter, who turned 25 earlier this year, now looks set to make the jump to Europe. 

For the Whitecaps, that’s bittersweet news. On one hand, they’ll be happy that Berhalter will be able to make this move, as they’ve had no problem letting players leave and go test themselves in Europe. 

At the same time, given how important Berhalter is to this Whitecaps team, this is a huge blow, as it can be argued that Berhalter is the heartbeat of this side with the work he does on both sides of the ball. There’s a reason why they didn’t sell him earlier despite his contract being set to expire at the end of this year, as they were willing to either let him leave on a free transfer or earn a reduced fee instead of losing what he brings to this team. 

GOAL 🏔️🏔️

Sebastian Berhalter makes it 2-0 for #VWFC as he finds the top corner to round out a flurry of attacks vs. C.S. Cartaginés 💪

🔴 Watch #ConcaChampions on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/IyYxQ9FBAe

— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) February 26, 2026

Because of that, it’ll be fascinating to see how they replace him now that they’ve allowed him to depart. On paper, it’s an easy proposition - given the surplus value that Berhalter offered despite not being a Designated Player, it’d make a lot of sense for the Whitecaps to try and replicate that by offering a DP contract to his potential replacement. 

Given that they’ve got an open DP spot after signing Andrés Cubas to a new contract earlier this year, it’d be logical to use that spot on a Berhalter replacement, with the rest of this team sitting in pretty good shape. With the wealth of options that they have in the attack, especially with Ryan Gauld back healthy and firing again, they don’t look to need to bring in an attacking DP, and this team remains in good defensive shape once they have a fully healthy backline once again.

Therefore, finding a DP-level Berhalter replacement seems like a wise idea, especially when considering the work Berhalter did to help this team become elite both defensively and offensively. 

For example, could someone like Stephen Eustáquio make sense? As he showed in his half-season stint on loan with LAFC earlier this year, he has the tools to be an excellent player in MLS, and looks set to leave Porto for a new challenge. Or how about Leon Goretzka, given his connection with Thomas Müller? 

And there are many other names to consider even beyond that. 

As the Whitecaps undergo that search, however, they’ll have to lean on internal replacements to step up in the short-term, and the good news is that they’ve got a pretty strong candidate to replace Berhalter already in their squad - 20-year-old Canadian midfielder Jeevan Badwal.

Of course, it’s a tall ask to suggest Badwal could come in and do what Berhalter does, especially offensively (Berhalter had eight goals and 13 assists across all competitions in 2025, and had seven goals and four assists in 2026), but Badwal has some comparable skills worth noting. 

Immediately, one that is worth noting is Badwal’s physical output, which is no small detail given the amount of running Berhalter does. 

For context, this season Berhalter has covered 11.2 kilometres per 90 minutes on average per SofaScore - that’s the third-best figure on the team (and the two players in front of him, Rayan Elloumi and Kenji Cabrera, are only ahead because they haven’t played a regular role, which has skewed the data with their substitute appearances).

Here's Berhalter's heatmap from this season, showing his ability to cover ground for the Whitecaps (SofaScore)

Badwal, meanwhile, has averaged 10.2 kilometres per 90 minutes, which is seventh on the team. That’s more than other midfielders Andrés Cubas (10 kilometres) and Oliver Larraz (8.4 kilometres), just to get an idea of how it stacks up to some other comparables, with Berhalter’s numbers being so high.

By comparison, here's Badwal's heatmap - he surprisingly covers a lot of ground, too, even if not to the extent of Berhalter (SofaScore)

That’s a good sign for Badwal, who could at least step into midfield and provide some of the same physical output as Berhalter. That Whitecaps head coach Jesper Sørensen has trusted Badwal to drop into the midfield pivot several times despite deploying him as more of a #10 and winger this year shows that. 

Yet, while Badwal has proven that he can run and cover ground, what can he provide in terms of some of the metrics Berhalter generated in his position?

To begin, you have to look at attacking output, given how valuable Berhalter has been in that department for the Whitecaps. Especially considering the way that the Whitecaps midfield is set up, with Berhalter paired alongside the more defensive Cubas in a double-pivot, there will be emphasis on Cubas’s new partner to push forward more, should the Whitecaps keep this tactical setup. 

Offensively, Berhalter has been averaging 2.72 shots, 0.27 xG, 2.88 key passes and 0.38 xA per 90, which are elite attacking numbers. On top of that, he’s also averaging over 55 successful passes and 5.2 successful long balls per 90.

Here's how Berhalter stacks up to other MLS midfielders this season. His attacking and passing numbers are elite, and his defensive numbers are strong (WyScout)

Badwal, meanwhile, is averaging 0.85 shots, 0.24 xG, 1.41 key passes and 0.18 xA per 90, as well as just over 35 successful passes and 0.57 long balls per 90, which isn’t bad. Especially when considering that while his overall attacking volume isn’t great in terms of shots and key passes, he’s got solid xG and xA numbers. And you can't ignore Badwal's remarkable ability to win fouls, as he's averaged 3.02 fouls won per 90 (Berhalter, by comparison, has won just 1.68 per 90), which showcases his attacking awareness differently. 

Perhaps, if given more freedom to push forward and to be more involved offensively, Badwal’s numbers could inch forward a bit. Certainly, he’s shown in glimpses to have taken strides this season in that department, sitting with two goals and three assists across all competitions - for context, he had just one goal and two assists across all of 2025.

Here's how Badwal stacks up to his peers - his offensive numbers are pretty strong in terms of quality, which is a positive sign (WyScout)

And, it must be noted that he had a goal and an assist in the Whitecaps' first game after the international break, which came with Berhalter out of the lineup as he finalized details related to his future - although Badwal was deployed in more of an advanced role in that game, which came against FC Cincinnati. 

Of course, when deployed in a midfield double-pivot, you can’t ignore the value of defending, especially when considering Berhalter’s efficiency there. This season, he was averaging 2.8 tackles, 0.88 interceptions, 6.17 recoveries and 5.44 duels won (at a 56.7% clip), which are strong numbers.

Badwal, meanwhile, has been solid, averaging 1.6 tackles, 1.04 interceptions, 4.15 recoveries and 5.18 duels won (at a 56.7% clip), which aren’t far off what Berhalter has averaged, to be fair.  

That’s worth noting, as it appears that there wouldn’t be a huge decline defensively - in fact, those numbers are quite similar when it comes down to it. 

Perhaps the best course of action for the Whitecaps could be to ask Badwal to help fill in the defensive hole left by Berhalter, and then employ more of a committee approach to replace some of the attacking output lost. 

For example, if Badwal drops into the double-pivot, the Whitecaps won’t need to ask him to completely replace Berhalter’s output if Ryan Gauld can prove that he’s indeed fit to start games going forward, using his recent brace in his return to MLS action as a sign that he could be on track to do that.

GAULDY GOLAZOOO 💥💥💥💥

A beautiful strike from outside the box from Ryan Gauld and we're back at it.#CINvVAN | #CIN 4 - 3 #VAN pic.twitter.com/WOpKx7HuUl

— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) July 23, 2026

All of a sudden, between Gauld’s return to full health, improved output from Thomas Müller (who has surprisingly only scored five goals and added two assists this season), and a push to get more out of their wingers (Emmanuel Sabbi, Cheikh Sabaly, Bruno Caicedo, Kenji Cabrera have seven goals combined), that could help soften what they’re losing from Berhalter. 

Plus, it can’t be forgotten that Whitecaps head coach Jesper Sørensen has also proven to be flexible tactically, which could offer another solution - when the Whitecaps lost Pedro Vite last year and replaced him with Müller, Sørensen changed the formation to get more out of Müller. 

Seeing that, you can imagine Sørensen would be open to switching formations, finding one that mitigates what the Whitecaps lose from Berhalter’s departure, while maximizing what they can get from the rest of their squad. 

The Whitecaps strike to make it 1-3 on aggregate! pic.twitter.com/BGzi0ta3rV

— Concacaf Champions Cup (@TheChampions) March 19, 2026

Therefore, while Berhalter’s loss will be a big one for this Whitecaps team, as he’s proven to be a big part of their rise into an elite side over the last year and a half, the Whitecaps will feel capable of replacing him, whether that’s internally or externally. 

At the end of the day, it can’t be forgotten that when Berhalter came in, it was because the Whitecaps took a flier on him and acquired him for essentially next to nothing, and then watched him blossom into the player he is now. 

Certainly, that’s another reason why you have to be excited about the opportunity that Badwal could get in the wake of Berhalter’s departure, as Sørensen has proven capable of elevating young players to a new level when the opportunity has arisen. Berhalter is just one of many examples of Sørensen’s ability to do that, with Ali Ahmed, Ralph Priso, Édier Ocampo and Tate Johnson some other players who have taken huge strides forward under the Whitecaps head coach since he arrived at the beginning of 2025. 

In fact, it can be argued that Badwal has already proven to be a success story in that regard, given that he went from a young prospect looking to become a first-team regular to someone who has started 16 games for one of the best teams in MLS so far in 2026 - so why not continue that growth and take another step forward with this newfound opportunity that sits in front of him?