PHILADELPHIA — Cavan Sullivan has taken his next step toward the big time, becoming the fourth youngest player to represent the United States at 16 years and 363 days as he started Saturday's 4-1 friendly win over Peru. The Philadelphia Union midfielder, who made his MLS debut at age 14, is just over a year away from being able to officially join Manchester City, who moved to secure his future signing back in 2024 when he was 14.
The hype has been building since that City agreement, and Sullivan's output since the 2026 MLS season resumed post-World Cup has matched it. He has seven goals and five assists in MLS this season, with six goals and four assists coming in August and September alone, including six goals in his past six games. He has been named to the league's Team of the Matchday seven times, including the past three consecutive matchdays, a contribution rate that puts him alongside the league's top stars including Lionel Messi, Antoine Griezmann and Luis Suarez. "It's well known that Americans are drawn to stars in sports, and as the World Cup showed, that applies to soccer too," Jonathan Tannenwald, chief soccer correspondent for the Philadelphia Inquirer, told the BBC. What Sullivan adds, Tannenwald noted, is work ethic to go with talent, echoing his manager Ryan Richter: "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."
Sullivan's emergence as a regular starter has coincided with a sharp turnaround for Philadelphia under interim coach Richter, who took over before the post-World Cup run-in. The Union are unbeaten in 11 games, winning nine, after winning just one of their first 15 games to start the season. Operating primarily as a right-sided attacking midfielder with freedom to drift centrally as a number 10 and cut inside on his stronger left foot, Sullivan has shown a good all-round game and strength relative to his age — not quite at the level of an emerging Wayne Rooney at Everton as a teenager, but enough physicality to hold his own in MLS. Rather than wilt, his performances have improved as the spotlight has brightened.
"I find him to be handling the pressure of everything pretty well," Tannenwald added. "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. 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." That family grounding is central in Philadelphia, where he plays alongside brother Quinn, 22, also with the Union. 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. "They all keep Cavan grounded too, even as they know he is the best of all of them," Tannenwald said.
The question now is whether Sullivan is the breakout soccer star the United States has long sought, though caution remains as he only turns 17 this month. There is also the complication around his future club, with his debut coming the day after Manchester City were found guilty of breaking the majority of the 115 financial rules they were accused of breaching, a verdict the club are expected to appeal. For now, staying in his hometown with family around him may be wise even as he appears to be outgrowing MLS, with the next year offering a platform before the move to England. The context around City follows Maguire's assessment that sanctions will be significant after the verdict.