Cavan Sullivan becomes fourth-youngest USA player as Manchester City-bound 16-year-old stars in Peru rout
Teenager's senior bow comes days after Manchester City found guilty of financial breaches
With a little over a year to go before he can officially join Manchester City, United States wonderkid Cavan Sullivan has taken his next step towards the big time. At 16 years and 363 days, the Philadelphia Union midfielder became the fourth-youngest player ever to represent the USA, starting Saturday's 4-1 friendly victory over Peru.
Ever since City moved to secure the future signing of a then 14-year-old Sullivan back in 2024, there has been intense intrigue around his progress — and a level of expectation rarely seen around a young American player. Manchester City saw something in him and were willing to wait for that potential to be realised at senior level, while his MLS club, Philadelphia Union, have also shown patience as they gradually introduced him to first-team football.
Matching Messi's numbers
His first run of regular starts for Union came as the 2026 MLS season resumed post-World Cup, and that first international call-up soon followed. The numbers since then speak for themselves. Sullivan has seven goals and five assists in MLS this season, with six of those goals and four of the assists coming during August and September alone. He has scored six goals in his past six games and has been named in the league's Team of the Matchday seven times, including for the past three consecutive matchdays.
His performances, goals and assists since the World Cup put him up alongside MLS's top individual stars, including Lionel Messi, Antoine Griezmann and Luis Suarez. Few players beyond those named can match Sullivan's goal-contribution rate in MLS since the World Cup, and there is a strong argument that the youngster has been the best player in the league during that spell. The facts, as one observer put it, need no extra hype or sensational comparisons.
A cautionary note
As the expectation rises, there is a call for caution around a player who only turns 17 this month. "It's well known that Americans are drawn to stars in sports, and as the World Cup showed, that applies to soccer too," said Jonathan Tannenwald, chief soccer correspondent for the Philadelphia Inquirer. "So it's no surprise that the country hopes for a star in men's soccer to match the many it has had in women's soccer. I'm not going to say today that Cavan Sullivan is going to be that player. It's too early to know for certain, and I've seen plenty of names not make the grade."
Tannenwald cited the pitfalls of previous hyped prospects: "Freddy Adu is among the infamous, but there are others, such as Gedion Zelalem at Arsenal. Christian Pulisic has come closest, but isn't really there and had a worse World Cup than hoped for. Gio Reyna has never measured up to his talent."
What sets Sullivan apart, Tannenwald argued, is his mentality. "What I will say about Sullivan is he has the work ethic to go with the talent. As his current manager at the Philadelphia Union, Ryan Richter, said recently: 'His outstanding quality is the mentality that he has, and the way that he approaches every game and every day, and that's what pushes him to get better and better.'"
Union turnaround
Sullivan's full-time introduction to the Philadelphia Union team has coincided with a dramatic turnaround in their season, led by interim coach Richter, who took over before this post-World Cup run-in. They are unbeaten in 11 games, winning nine — a stark contrast to the start of the campaign, when they won just one of their opening 15 matches. Sullivan has played a key part in the revival, operating in a right-sided attacking midfield role with the freedom to drift centrally and cut inside on his stronger left foot.
He is not quite at the level an emerging Wayne Rooney was as a teenager at Everton, but his physicality means he can more than hold his own in the robust environment of MLS. Rather than struggling under the weight of expectation, his performances have improved as the spotlight has brightened — though it may be wise to let him continue developing in his hometown with his family around him for a little longer before his move to City.
His brother Quinn Sullivan, 22, also plays for the Union, helping keep him grounded. "Talk with him for long enough, and you'll know he's still a teenager, still finding his way with some things as any teen would," Tannenwald added. "Yes, he can come across as cocky, but he's well grounded, not just by Richter, but by having his oldest brother there in the locker room with him."
Away from the stadium, Sullivan has a strong sporting family: both parents, Brendan and Heike, played soccer, and grandfather Larry went from a player in the 1960s to one of the most famous coaches in the Philadelphia region. As Tannenwald noted, "They all keep Cavan grounded too, even as they know he is the best of all of them."
Notably, Sullivan made his international debut the day after City were found guilty of breaking the majority of the 115 financial rules they were accused of breaching. The club are expected to appeal.