At 17, Cavan Sullivan becomes USA's second-youngest starter and looks right at home

Cavan Sullivan turned 17 on Monday, but the birthday came two days after the milestone that will define his early career: starting for the United States men’s national team in a 4-1 friendly victory over Peru at Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando on Saturday, making him only the second-youngest starter in the programme’s 113-year history.

Sullivan went 62 minutes before being withdrawn, and by the time he emerged from the tunnel he was already being asked to explain what it all meant. His answer was disarmingly simple. “I didn’t get to see them,” he told reporters, referring to the parents, friends and former youth coaches who had travelled to Orlando to watch his debut. “I know now for next time that I can find a way to bring them down here.”

The Philadelphia Union midfielder became just the fourth 16-year-old — he was still 16 at kick-off — to represent the Stars and Stripes, and the first in more than 20 years. The call-up was no act of sentiment. Sullivan had recorded seven goals and nine assists in his previous nine club games, and coach Mauricio Pochettino placed him in a starting XI that also contained seven World Cup veterans.

Those veterans have taken notice. Tyler Adams, who has played close to 300 club games across the Premier League, Champions League, Bundesliga and MLS and was the youngest captain at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, was measured but clear in his assessment. “He’s a special player,” Adams said. “He’s obviously very young still, but you wouldn’t know that he’s that young. He’s not out of his depth in any way. I see a lot of similar qualities that I had growing up.”

The immediate question is how large a role Sullivan plays as the United States work through an extended four-game international window. Pochettino is expected to lean on two-time World Cup veteran Sergiño Dest for the right wing when rivalry fixtures against Mexico and Canada arrive early next month. But with Sullivan’s form and composure already on display, a further appearance against Chile in St. Louis is a realistic prospect.

For Sullivan himself, the focus appears to be exactly where Pochettino would want it. The hype surrounding him — prodigy, next big thing, generational talent — is something he seems content to leave to others. He just wants to play, and on the evidence of Orlando, he is already equipped to do exactly that at the highest level his country can offer.