Since the World Cup break, no player in Major League Soccer has more goals and assists than Cavan Sullivan’s 12, as he has powered the Philadelphia Union on a 10-match unbeaten run in league play, moving from the bottom of the Eastern Conference to seventh and firmly in a playoff place. Sullivan’s 12 goal contributions are matched by Lionel Messi, which makes this stat even more absurd. One player is Lionel Messi, and the other is a 16-year-old American attacking midfielder who is breaking out right before our eyes.
Sullivan has registered a goal or an assist in seven consecutive matches and is breaking out before our eyes. He already has the most goals or assists by a player 16 or younger in MLS history, surpassing Freddy Adu. This is the best teenager to come out of MLS since Alphonso Davies, but when it comes to general production, Sullivan is the best teenager in MLS history. And as he showed with his first of two goals against San Diego FC, he has a flair for the audacious, scoring a backheel goal that few would even attempt to do.
Confidence is important, and he has it in spades. Playing alongside his brother Quinn who also broke into the Union first team as a teenager, is helpful, but Cavan has quickly made a name for himself, and he’s showing everyone the reason why he’s Manchester City bound when he turns 18. But with the international break coming up, the first of FIFA’s new-look window that will see teams have a three-week break facing four teams, Sullivan absolutely has to be there.
Initially, with USA coach Mauricio Pochettino being able to take a look at younger players, it would’ve made sense for Sullivan to get a taste of camp and what he’d need in order to make the senior national team, but now he deserves to be there based on merit and not just potential.
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There’s no American player performing at a higher level since the World Cup than Sullivan, and with Christian Pulisic’s return from injury in Milan and Folarin Balogun in an uncertain situation at Monaco following his proposed move to Everton that fell through, there will be a need to take a look at other attackers, and one has to be Sullivan.
While the phrase, “If you’re old enough, you’re good enough” may be overplayed, age isn’t something that should come into the equation with this situation. If an American player in MLS or a top league were performing at this level, taking a look at them in the senior national team would be a must, and that’s just where we are with Sullivan. Speaking in a media roundtable, Pochettino did confirm that the rising stars such as Sullivan, Zavier Gozo, Julian Hall, and Adri Mehemti would be in the mix.
“I think our idea [is] we are going to do a mix [of] experienced players,” Pochettino said. “I think experienced players with young players that can fit together and start to work and how the young kids start to manage the pressure to play in the first team [in the] very next games … It’s tough, but I think it’s important now to have this pool of a lot of players because I think players can evolve from one month to another, six months, one year, and it’s important to keep that connection.”
While he doesn’t want anyone to get overconfident of their chances, these are a group of players who are quite even-keeled, and what may help Sullivan the most is his own competitiveness. He’s not afraid of anyone, even going at Messi when the Union faced Inter Miami, and he’s someone who is reflective of their performances. After a Leagues Cup match against Cruz Azul, Sullivan stated that he apologized to his teammates for missing his chances to win the game, and he’s taken most of them since, guiding his team to result after result.
That level of accountability from someone so young is unusual and that and other impressive attributes have helped Sullivan get to where he is now. He’s clearly taking a step in his performances and being entrusted with more responsibility at the club level and now is a chance to see if he is ready to translate it to the national team. The form is impossible to ignore especially when challenges such as Mexico and Canada await in the international break, and with the national team roster expected this week, his name may just be on it.
