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 to play for the USA - starting Saturday's 4-1 friendly win over Peru. Ever since City moved to secure the future signing of a then 14-year-old Sullivan back in 2024, there has been plenty of intrigue around his progress, and hype to go with it.
It led to a level of expectation rarely seen around a young American player - reinforcing the sense that he might be the real deal. Manchester City saw something in him and were willing to wait for that potential to be realised at senior level. His MLS team, Philadelphia Union, have also shown patience as they gradually introduced him to senior football.
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. There is one complication, though - the ongoing news around his future club. He 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. His performances, goals, and assists since the World Cup put him up there with the MLS's top individual stars, including Lionel Messi, Antoine Griezmann and Luis Suarez. Few players beyond those mentioned can match Sullivan's goal contribution rate in MLS since the World Cup, and there is a strong argument to say the youngster has been the best player in the league during that time.
They speak of a player who has performed a key role in his team's rise up the league table in the past few months, and of one who has the output in front of goal to go with the minutes on the pitch. The facts need no extra hype or sensational Messi comparisons. Sullivan has seven goals and five assists in MLS this season.
Six of those goals and four of those assists have come during August and September. Sullivan has scored six goals in the past six games, and has been named in the league's Team of the Matchday a total of seven times, including for the past three consecutive matchdays. Is he the breakout soccer star that the United States have long been desperate for?
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