NEW YORK – Lionel Messi has not missed a beat since returning to MLS play after the World Cup, registering 12 goal contributions in 10 games with Inter Miami. It makes the Argentine icon the only player to keep pace with the Philadelphia Union's Cavan Sullivan, who was born after Messi won his second UEFA Champions League title with Barcelona.
"I didn't know that," Sullivan claimed Tuesday. "That's pretty cool. Like I said, I'm just trying to show what I can do. I told people that the goal contributions will come with the games but as always, the wins are most important, and 10 [games] unbeaten [with the Union] is pretty special."
If you've ever wondered what hype looks like, a few minutes in and around Sullivan's orbit will do the trick. The 16-year-old may have walked into the EA Sports FC 27 launch party quietly on Tuesday but in no time, he was swarmed by well-wishers, media requests and the growing attention that has accompanied his rise.
Two days removed from scoring off a backheel and nutmegging a goalkeeper in San Diego, the Philadelphia Union attacker had earned the spotlight – his five goals and seven assists mean he is MLS' joint goal contribution leader with Messi. He claimed at the time that he had no idea if his first senior call-up to the U.S. men's national team was on its way, though the good news will reportedly become official this week according to ESPN. A week after USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino said he and his staff are "watching everything," the midfielder seems to have taken the hint. Depending on who you ask, it is the final step in his ascent to the senior national team – an understanding of the demands of the dream job now that it is finally within reach.
"I'm just working to develop my game and get better day by day and hopefully keep proving myself, proving [to] the world what I can do in the games and just having fun," he said.
After a North America-set World Cup that gripped U.S. audiences, Sullivan's impressive run of form has allowed him to fill the attention vacuum seamlessly. He essentially blew up as soon as he was given an important role with the Union, his promotion only coming this summer. The youngest player to make his MLS debut at 14, his integration into the first team was understandably slow but Sullivan has been handed a bigger role by interim head coach Ryan Richter, who succeeded Bradley Carnell after he was fired just before the World Cup. Sullivan has made his moments count since, attributing it to the vibe shift in the Union locker room.
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"I think it was sort of just a spirit thing, a belief thing," he said about the tonal change for the Union, who were below the playoff line before the World Cup and now have a three-point cushion on the flip side of the line. "A healthy competitiveness. Locker room filled with excitement to show up to training and excitement in the games. When we score, we celebrate. Sometimes we plan our celebrations and we just have fun."
A few weeks shy of his 17th birthday, there's a certain humor in the idea that Sullivan had to wait until the back half of the MLS season for his opportunities. Carnell restricted him to an average of 42.2 minutes per game, a 13-game stretch in which he notched just one goal and two assists. His post-World Cup outings are an example of a player meeting his moment, albeit after leaning into the serious side of a skillset that is built around exuberance and flair.
"I think just like the rest of the group," he said about surviving the Union's early season rough patch and the situation around his playing time, "just head down, driven, and continue to work hard … I have this winning mentality. I just really love to win, ever since I was a kid so that's where the competitiveness comes from. I think it's just [that] my drive is natural."
Sullivan's subtlety, though, is not necessarily reserved for his aspirations with the national team. Like everyone around him, he knows that the USMNT's generational shift is coming as the long road to the 2030 World Cup begins with fall friendlies against Peru, Chile, Mexico and Canada in late September and early October. The fourth of four soccer-playing brothers, two of whom have now played in Bangladesh's youth set-up thanks to their grandmother's roots, he also sees no need to hide.
"Obviously, everyone dreams of playing for the USA," he said. "As a kid living in America, it's the biggest goal, it's the biggest honor so it would be a blessing to be able to represent. All four of the Sullivan brothers had dreams of playing for the USA. [Older brother] Quinn's already done it so that was a pretty awesome moment for the family."
