Ryan Richter Plays Down Cavan Sullivan Hype as Philadelphia Union Chase Seventh Straight Win Over Real Salt Lake
Richter: 'You can't put on those kinds of expectations'
Philadelphia Union interim head coach Ryan Richter has moved to temper the growing hype surrounding Cavan Sullivan after the teenager made history for the United States during the international break, insisting the breakout star must keep working hard as the MLS run-in approaches.
Sullivan became the youngest goalscorer in the history of the USMNT when he found the net in a 3-0 victory over Mexico. At the age of 17 years and five days, he surpassed Mathis Albert, who had scored against Chile only four days earlier at 17 years and 131 days.
Ahead of Saturday's return to league duty, when Philadelphia host Real Salt Lake, Richter warned that it would be unfair to expect instant stardom.
"You can't put on those kinds of expectations. I know he'll continue to work in that way, and our job is to help him as much as we possibly can to reach those goals," Richter said.
Richter praised the support network around the young forward, pointing to his family as a grounding influence.
"He has got an amazing support system around him, a great family; his older brother is also a national team player – they keep his feet on the ground more than anyone," he added. "We've known him for a long time, so to me, he's still the eight-year-old kid running around like crazy, pulling off something incredible on the field. That's still the kid I see. He is so driven to be an amazing player one day, and he keeps his feet on the ground and stays focused on that. He understands you just don't get to that level; it takes hard work, and nothing's guaranteed for an athlete."
Union riding historic momentum
Philadelphia enter the weekend in remarkable form. The Union went into the international break on a 12-game unbeaten run (W10 D2), the longest regular-season streak in their history, and have also won their last six matches — the longest winning run in their MLS history.
Despite some players departing on international duty, Richter said his squad maintained its standards in training.
"Credit to the guys that were here – we didn't drop the focus or the intensity at all. That was pretty cool," he told reporters. "Not having a game at the weekend, you don't have an end goal at the end of the training week, but they did a great job to push the intensity and focus. We train every day to try to get better and keep building in the way we want to play, building in our individual things that we need to get better at."
Philadelphia sit sixth in the Eastern Conference, while Real Salt Lake are 11th in the West and four points outside the playoff picture. RSL endured a long winless run before beating the New England Revolution 3-0 prior to the break.
Players to watch
Philadelphia Union – Milan Iloski: Iloski scored a hat-trick in Philadelphia's win against Orlando City SC before the international break. That made him the only player to score multiple hat-tricks in MLS this season, having previously netted a treble against Inter Miami.
Real Salt Lake – Sergi Solans: Solans scored a brace in RSL's win over New England before the break. The double pulled him further clear as his team's leading goalscorer this season, with 11. He is their only player to reach double figures — Zavier Gozo is second with six — and the only member of the squad with multiple braces this year.
Match prediction: Philadelphia Union win
History offers little comfort to the Union, who have only managed to defeat Real Salt Lake once in 13 regular-season meetings between the sides — a 4-1 victory on May 19, 2018. Overall, RSL lead the series with six wins and six draws to just one loss. Saturday's game will be the second meeting between the two clubs since 2019, having also faced off in 2024.
While Real Salt Lake snapped their 13-game winless streak in their final outing before the break — the longest single-season winless run in the club's MLS history — Philadelphia remain clear favourites on home soil.
Opta win probability: Philadelphia Union 59.9%, Real Salt Lake 19.1%, Draw 21%.