Cavan Sullivan sparks with USA debut at 16 as City wait looms

Cavan Sullivan, Philadelphia Union’s midfielder, took another step toward Manchester City: at 16 years and 363 days he made his debut for the United States on Saturday, starting in the 4-1 friendly win over Peru. He became the fourth-youngest player to feature for the USA.

City moved to secure his future in 2024, when Sullivan was 14, and Philadelphia Union has been patient, bringing him into senior football gradually. His first run of regular starts arrived when the 2026 MLS season restarted after the World Cup, and the international call-up followed soon after.

A burst of MLS output

Since the World Cup, his numbers have put him among the league’s leading individual forces: he has seven goals and five assists in MLS this season, with six goals and four assists coming in August and September. He scored in six straight matches and has been named in the league’s Team of the Matchday seven times, including the last three in a row.

Union’s turnaround too

There’s one complication around his future club. City were found guilty of breaching most of the 115 financial rules they were accused of breaking, and an appeal is expected. In the meantime, with interim coach Ryan Richter, Philadelphia Union are unbeaten in 11 games (nine wins), and Sullivan has played a key role in that rise, moving in a right-sided attacking midfield role with freedom to drift centrally. Jonathan Tannenwald, BBC Sport, says Sullivan is handling pressure well for a teenager.