Cavan Sullivan Posts 6 Goals, 5 Assists in 8 Games as MLS Prodigy Hype Returns
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Sep 16
Cavan Sullivan Posts 6 Goals, 5 Assists in 8 Games as MLS Prodigy Hype Returns
1 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Sep 16
Summary
Six goals and five assists in his last eight matches have pushed Cavan Sullivan back to the center of U.S. soccer hype, with the Philadelphia Union teenager driving a 10-game unbeaten run.
At 16 — two weeks shy of 17 — Sullivan nearly matches Lionel Messi for MLS and Leagues Cup goal involvements since the World Cup and already owns the league's best statistical season by a teenager.
His rise looks less theoretical because he broke Freddy Adu's MLS debut-age record by 13 days, has already outscored Adu's best MLS season, and has a Manchester City move lined up for when he turns 18.
That excitement is still tempered by a long U.S. history of overhyped prospects — from Adu and Julian Green to Gio Reyna — with only Christian Pulisic coming close to fully meeting expectations.