Vancouver Whitecaps star makes Uruguay coach eat his words after disrespectful MLS comments
Marcelo Bielsa has been considered one of the most influential soccer coaches of the 21st century.
The Argentinian coach’s accomplishments include an Olympic gold medal for Argentina, guiding Chile back into the World Cup, and helping Leeds United return to the Premier League.
However, even the best at their craft can have previous comments come back to haunt them.
Bielsa is currently the head coach of the Uruguay men’s national soccer team, who were just humiliated by the United States, 5-1, in a friendly on Tuesday night.
Earlier this year, Bielsa’s comments about MLS surfaced when one of his players was speaking with a Spanish media outlet.
Uruguay National player Cristian Olivera told Punto Penal back in February that Bielsa recommended he leave MLS because it “makes players lazy.”
“I also felt that way,” Oliveria said in an interview, translated from Spanish. “I lacked rhythm. I quickly knew that it was the league. Now, in the Brazilian league, where you play every three days, it’s beautiful.”
Oliveria listened to Bielsa’s criticism about MLS and went from Los Angeles FC, who the Vancouver Whitecaps will face this weekend, over to Gremio in the Brazilian Série A.
Unfortunately for Bielsa and the Uruguay national team, they allowed five goals in an international game to a squad featuring many MLS players.
That included a gorgeous goal scored by Whitecaps midfielder Sebastian Berhalter.
In the 17th minute of the match, Berhalter fed the ball to teammate Sergiño Dest after lining up for a free kick. Dest one-touched the ball back to Berhalter, and the Whitecaps star made no mistake.
🇺🇸 1-0 🇺🇾
Sebastian Berhalter with a BEAUTY for his first @USMNT goal 😍
pic.twitter.com/hHvyi0hhdI— Major League Soccer (@MLS) November 19, 2025
Three minutes later, Berhalter went from striker to playmaker.
In the 20th minute, the 24-year-old placed a corner kick perfectly for Alex Freeman, who plays for Orlando City SC, to head it into the back of the net.
Berhalter was instrumental in the U.S. Men’s National Team getting an early lead, and they scored four goals in the first half alone as they cruised to victory.
His goal was the first he’s scored at this level for his country during international competition.
You could see the excitement oozing out of him after the win, prompting a member of the TNT Panel to say to him: “You can’t stop smiling.”
“I can’t. I can’t, man,” Berhalter said. “I just scored a goal for my country, honestly, it feels amazing.”
The goal is another footnote in what’s been an amazing season for Berhalter. He led all Whitecaps players in minutes played during the regular season, setting career highs in games started (25), goals (4), and assists (11).