A new meme has put USMNT midfielder Sebastian Berhalter into one of the most famous photographs of the American civil rights movement. A US soccer podcast posted an edited black-and-white image of a march, with Berhalter in a national team kit linking arms with the marchers. The edit appears to play on how well he links up with his teammates, especially defender Chris Richards. That link-up has been one of the stories of the national team’s recent games. This article explains the meme, the photo behind it and the partnership that seems to have inspired it.
The edited image shows a line of marchers with their arms linked, with an American flag and a second flag behind them. At the centre is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and one of the figures beside him is Berhalter. He wears a dark striped Nike shirt with the US Soccer crest and matching white shorts, which stand out sharply against the 1960s clothing around him. The edit is clearly artificial, though it is not clear from the post whether it was made by hand or with AI. The post carried no explanation in the screenshot, so the image was left to speak for itself.
The image appears to be based on a famous photograph from the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery march. Its composition matches a widely published photograph by Steve Schapiro, who covered two of the marches for Life magazine. That photo, often called “A Show of Unity”, shows King linking arms with John Lewis, Rev. Jesse Douglas, James Forman and Ralph Abernathy. The exact source image behind the meme has not been confirmed. Life first hired Schapiro in 1962, and his work from Selma has become some of the best-known imagery of the civil rights movement.
The Selma marches were a campaign for Black voting rights in Alabama in March 1965. More than 2,000 people crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge on Bloody Sunday, and the first march attempt was met with violent attacks from state and local police. The marchers eventually completed the five-day walk from Selma to the Alabama State Capitol in Montgomery, led by King. National outrage over the violence is widely credited with helping lead to the Voting Rights Act of 1965. That is why a photo of leaders linking arms on that march still carries so much weight.
The link-up fans seem to be joking about is Berhalter’s partnership with Chris Richards. Berhalter, 25, is a midfielder known for his delivery from set pieces. Richards is the centre back who helped Crystal Palace lift the FA Cup, and he has been described as the USMNT’s best aerial target on set pieces. Their connection is not new, because three of Richards’ four international goals have been assisted by Berhalter. In other words, when Berhalter takes a set piece, Richards is often where the ball is going.
The partnership first showed up at the 2025 Gold Cup. Against Saudi Arabia, Berhalter’s set-piece delivery set up Richards’ second international goal. In the final against Mexico, the USA led within four minutes when Richards headed home another Berhalter set piece, and US Soccer noted it was the second time in the tournament that this combination had scored. One fan reacted at the time that the USA were already winning 1-0 after three minutes, as Berhalter’s free kick found Richards, who headed it into the back of the net. The Ringer later pointed to his assist for the opener in that final as proof of his value.
The most recent chapter came against Chile on 29 September, in a 4-2 win in St. Louis. Berhalter opened the scoring in the 37th minute, finishing after Sergiño Dest’s cross and a dummy by Julian Hall. Richards came on in the 63rd minute with the game level at 2-2. In the 72nd minute, Berhalter whipped in an outswinging corner from the right, and Richards rose at the penalty spot to head home the winner. It was Berhalter’s sixth assist for the national team and his second goal-and-assist game in a row, and he was named Man of the Match.
Their styles complement each other, with one supplying the delivery and the other the finish. ESPN said Berhalter’s set-piece deliveries are “unmatched within the USMNT player pool”. Some say that his corners and free kicks to Richards “aren’t getting old anytime soon”, and called Richards the best set-piece target. Richards, for his part, called Berhalter “pit bull-ish” after the World Cup match against Türkiye, praising his mentality. Berhalter also offers more than set pieces, as he showed against Chile by releasing Hall on a breakaway and scoring himself.
Berhalter has been one of the players who made the most of his opportunities under Pochettino, earning 20 caps since the start of 2025. He has averaged one goal contribution in every two appearances. With six goal contributions in 2026, he leads the USMNT. After the Chile win, Berhalter kept it simple, telling TNT Sports that the win was what mattered most.
Fans on social media have been quick to join in on the joke. One called it an outstanding meme, while another admitted it took them a minute to get it, which shows the edit works best for people who know both the Selma photograph and the USMNT. Another fan joked that this is why their family tithes to the podcast, a nod to the religious practice of giving a share of your income to a church, here used to joke about supporting the show. Several replies pleaded with someone named Vince, apparently a person connected to the account, with one asking for his internet to be taken away. That is playful language for blaming someone for a post that goes too far while still enjoying it.
Other reactions were about football and showed that fans see the link-up as the real story. After the Chile goal, one soccer page shared a clip of the corner and header with a simple verdict:
“Berhalter to Richards is a beautiful thing”
Another fan wanted the team to hand Berhalter corner duty for good:
“KEEP BERHALTER ON CORNERS PLZ”
Both reactions echo the numbers, with three of Richards’ four international goals coming from Berhalter’s assists. Another fan rewrote the famous “let freedom ring” refrain from King’s 1963 speech into a line about Berhalter’s right foot, the one he delivers corners with.
Whether people find the edit funny or tasteless, it has put the Berhalter and Richards partnership in front of a wider audience. On the pitch, their combination has already produced goals in a Gold Cup final and against Chile. The original photograph, meanwhile, remains a reminder of what that march was for. That context is worth knowing before sharing the edit. The next chance for another Berhalter corner and Richards header comes against Mexico on Saturday in Glendale, Arizona.
