Philadelphia Union teenager Cavan Sullivan is poised to receive his maiden call-up to the United States men's national team, according to a source with knowledge of the roster who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the selection publicly.
Head coach Mauricio Pochettino is expected to unveil his squad on Thursday morning for a busy stretch of matches against Chile, Peru, Mexico and Canada spanning late September into early October. ESPN's Jeff Carlisle was the first to report that Sullivan would be included in the group.
The 16-year-old has emerged as one of the most talked-about young talents in American soccer, having turned professional at just 14 years old. His form has spiked dramatically since Major League Soccer resumed following this summer's World Cup, with Sullivan contributing six goals and eight assists during that span for the Union. That surge in production appears to have convinced Pochettino it was time to give the midfielder a look at the senior international level.
Interestingly, Sullivan first caught Pochettino's attention for reasons unrelated to his on-field play. Earlier this month, the youngster remarked during a podcast appearance that he believed he could have been a useful asset for the national team during this summer's World Cup, a tournament that ended in disappointment for the Americans when they were eliminated in the round of 16 by Belgium.
The comments prompted a pointed response from Pochettino when he addressed reporters at the time. "We are watching everything, we are seeing everything," the coach said. "And of course, we want players with talent, players that feel brave, feel confident, but not [that] feel things that they still don't show or they [haven't] earned. I think you only are entitled to talk a little bit out of order if you are Messi. If you've won eight Ballon d'Ors, OK, you can talk with a certain arrogance."
Despite that rebuke, Sullivan's performances on the pitch have evidently spoken loudly enough to earn him a spot in the upcoming squad. Should he take the field during this international window, he would become the fourth-youngest player to ever represent the USMNT. Only Freddy Adu, who was a few months younger when he debuted for the U.S. in a 2006 friendly against Canada, holds a younger mark among the nation's senior team representatives.
Sullivan has already etched his name into the record books once before. When he made his professional debut for the Union in 2024, he became the youngest player in the history of any major North American professional sports league to appear in a competitive match, surpassing another of Adu's longstanding records.
The teenager's rapid rise has been closely tracked since he signed his first professional contract with Philadelphia in May 2024. That deal includes a notable clause: a future transfer to Manchester City once Sullivan turns 18, underscoring the scale of interest in his potential from clubs across the globe.
With Pochettino set to finalize and announce his roster imminently, the soccer world will soon learn whether Sullivan's inclusion translates into actual minutes on the field during the upcoming friendlies against four significant regional and continental rivals. A debut would mark a milestone moment in the career of a player many believe could become a fixture for the national team for years to come.
Based on reporting from The Guardian.