Cavan Sullivan, who turns 17 later this month, has reportedly been included in the U.S. men's national team roster for upcoming friendlies against Peru, Chile, Mexico and Canada, according to Jeff Carlisle of ESPN. It's the first international call-up for a player who has been on the American soccer radar since he was barely a teenager.
Sullivan grew up in northern Philadelphia before moving to Norristown, joining the Philadelphia Union academy in 2020 alongside his older brother Quinn. He's been turning heads for years. Back in April 2023, when Sullivan was just 13, Union head coach Jim Curtain said the youngster "has the ability and talent to become, I'll just say, a household name." Others went further still. Former U.S. international and current ESPN analyst Taylor Twellman said in early 2024 that Manchester City scouts described Sullivan as "the best 14-year-old in the world," adding, "they're not wrong."
Sullivan's résumé already includes a Golden Ball at the 2023 CONCACAF U-15 Championship, where he scored three goals in the group stage as the U.S. beat Mexico 4-2 in the final. In November, at the U-17 World Cup in Qatar, he came off the bench to score the United States' opening goal of the tournament against Burkina Faso.
A breakout season in MLS
This year has marked Sullivan's emergence at club level. He began the 2026 campaign as a squad player before earning a regular starting role in late April under head coach Bradley Carnell, a spot he's kept under new interim boss Ryan Richter. After a slow start in league play, Sullivan has scored five goals in his last five MLS matches, taking his season total to six goals and five assists. One of those, an audacious back-heel finish into the far corner without looking, earned him MLS Player of the Matchday honors.
Beyond the numbers, Sullivan has built a reputation for bravado on the pitch, aggressively protecting teammates and playing with a confidence that borders on arrogance. It's the kind of edge that has drawn comparisons in fan circles to players like Folarin Balogun and Tyler Adams, given how U.S. supporters have craved more grit from their national team in recent years.
Pochettino urges patience
Despite the hype, USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino has been cautious about building up Sullivan too quickly. After the teenager suggested he could have helped the U.S. at the 2026 World Cup, Pochettino responded without naming him directly.
"You're only entitled to speak a little out of place if you're Messi and you've won eight Ballons d'Or," Pochettino said during interviews in Europe. "If you've won eight Ballons d'Or, okay, you can talk with a certain arrogance. But even Messi, never are you going to hear him talking in this way. But if you are young and you start to talk that you can play here, you can play there, or you can play, I don't believe that these are in a right way to build your career in the best way."
The path to Manchester City
Sullivan signed with Manchester City in May 2024, choosing the Premier League club over a host of other suitors. Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid had all made approaches, according to reports from Fabrizio Romano and Philipp Kessler of The Daily Mail.
Because Sullivan holds a German passport, European child labor laws would technically allow him to play for a club within an EU nation at 16. Brexit complications mean he can't join Manchester City's senior setup until he turns 18. Earlier reporting from Kessler and Tom Bogert of The Athletic suggested City planned to loan Sullivan to City Football Group sister club Lommel SK in Belgium once he turned 16, but that plan was scrapped in favor of keeping him at Philadelphia Union until he's eligible to move to England.
A soccer family
The Sullivan name runs deep in Philadelphia soccer circles. Brother Quinn, 22, also came through the Union academy, debuting for the first team in 2021 at 17, and has earned three USMNT caps, all during the 2025 Gold Cup. Their parents, Brendan and Heike, both played collegiately at the University of Pennsylvania, while grandfather Larry played at Temple before spending 16 years coaching at Villanova, where he coached current Union boss Jim Curtin.
Chasing the record books
Freddy Adu remains the youngest player ever to appear for the USMNT, debuting in January 2006 at 16 years and seven months, one of only three 16-year-olds to have played for the national team. Sullivan won't be able to break that mark, as he turns 17 on September 28. But if he debuts in the opening match of the window against Peru on September 26, he would be 16 years and 363 days old, making him the fourth-youngest player in USMNT history.
