Overview
- Reports on Wednesday said Mauricio Pochettino has invited 16-year-old Philadelphia Union forward Cavan Sullivan to the combined September–October friendlies against Peru, Chile, Mexico and Canada.
- Sullivan has scored six MLS goals this season and is the joint league leader in goal contributions since the World Cup, a run that helped push the Union into a long unbeaten run and a playoff position.
- He is signed to a future transfer to Manchester City but cannot join City’s squad until he turns 18 because of UK registration rules, so he will remain with Philadelphia for another season.
- Friendlies would not cap-tie Sullivan, so any appearance would not lock his national-team eligibility, and the call-up follows public scrutiny of his temperament after a rescinded red card and a rebuke from Pochettino over perceived arrogance.
- The move signals a faster path for elite teenagers into the senior USMNT and creates immediate questions about how coaches will balance on-field value, behavior management, and long-term development for prodigious young players.