Cavan Sullivan: USA wonderkid takes next step after impressive MLS run

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.

The numbers speak for themselves.

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? He is about to become a big part of that conversation.

As the expectation rises, there has to be caution when discussing 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," Jonathan Tannenwald, chief soccer correspondent for the Philadelphia Inquirer, told the BBC.

"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.

"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 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, external: '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 full-time introduction to the Philadelphia Union team has coincided with a 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. This is in stark contrast to the beginning of the season when they only won one game in 15. Sullivan has played a key part in this improvement.

During this time, Sullivan has been playing in a right-sided attacking midfield role, but with the freedom to drift as a central number 10 might and cut inside on his stronger left foot.

He has a good all-round game, and also has good strength relative to his age. He is not quite at the level an emerging Wayne Rooney was as a teenager at Everton, but his physicality that means he can more than hold his own in a robust league such as MLS.

Rather than struggle with the weight of expectation, his performances have improved as the spotlight on him has brightened.

It appears he is already outgrowing the North American league, but it might be wise to allow him to play at this level, in his hometown, with his family around him (his brother Quinn, 22, also plays for the Union) for a little while longer, regardless of the other options open to him pre-City.

"I find him to be handling the pressure of everything pretty well," added Tannenwald.

"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.

"Away from the stadium, Sullivan has a strong family at home. Both of his 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."