"You're only entitled to speak a little out of place if you're Messi and you've won eight Ballons d'Or." That was Mauricio Pochettino, gently putting a teenager in his place after Cavan Sullivan suggested he could have helped the USMNT at a World Cup held on home soil. Even in the rebuke, there's a compliment buried in there — you don't quote Messi in the same breath as a player you're not watching closely.
Sullivan, who turns 17 on September 28, has reportedly been included in the U.S. roster for four upcoming friendlies against Peru, Chile, Mexico, and Canada. If he plays against Peru on September 26, he'd step onto the pitch at 16 years, 363 days old — the fourth-youngest player in USMNT history.
Five Goals in Five Games — This Isn't a Sample Size Problem
The call-up isn't charity. Sullivan has scored five goals in his last five MLS matches for Philadelphia Union, giving him six goals and five assists on the season. He started 2026 as a squad player and only locked down a regular starting spot in late April. Since then, he hasn't let go of it.
One of those goals — a back-heel finish into the far post without looking — earned him MLS Player of the Matchday. These aren't tap-ins against bottom-half defenses. The kid has a flair that reads as genuinely dangerous, not just highlight-reel noise.
His profile is a playmaker running the heart of the Union attack: exceptional dribbling, sharp passing, blistering pace, and the kind of bravado that makes him a nightmare to press. The frame is still slight — he's 16, that's expected — but the technical quality is operating well ahead of schedule.
Manchester City certainly thought so. In May 2024, Sullivan signed with the Premier League champions, choosing them over Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, and Borussia Dortmund. Due to Brexit regulations, he can't join City's senior setup until he's 18, but the club judged that their development plan — which initially included a loan to Belgian side Lommel SK before eventually keeping him stateside with Philadelphia — was worth the wait. So did Sullivan.
City's scouts reportedly told ESPN's Taylor Twellman that Sullivan was "the best 14-year-old in the world." Twellman's addendum: "They're not wrong."
The Family That Bleeds Union Blue
Sullivan isn't an accident of geography. He grew up in northern Philadelphia, moved to Norristown, and joined the Union academy in 2020 alongside his older brother Quinn. His parents both played collegiate soccer at the University of Pennsylvania. His grandfather Larry played at Temple and spent 16 years coaching at Villanova — where, in a very Philadelphia twist, he coached current Union head coach Jim Curtin.
Quinn, 22, made his Union first-team debut at 17 and picked up three senior USMNT caps during the 2025 Gold Cup. Cavan is now walking the same path, just faster and with a considerably larger audience watching.
- 2023 CONCACAF U-15 Championship: Golden Ball winner, three goals, U.S. beat Mexico 4-2 in the final
- 2024 U-17 FIFA World Cup: came off the bench to score the opener against Burkina Faso
- 2026 MLS season: 6 goals, 5 assists, five goals in five consecutive matches
- Man City transfer: agreed May 2024, activates at age 18
Philadelphia Union head coach Jim Curtin — yes, the same one Cavan's grandfather coached at Villanova — said when Sullivan was 13 that the kid had "the ability and talent to become a household name." That conversation has moved on. The question now isn't whether Sullivan has a future. It's how fast that future arrives.
Pochettino's caution is understandable, and probably correct. But he called him up anyway. That says more than the warning did.
