The rise of a new soccer star: Who is US teenager Cavan Sullivan?

By Ben Church, CNN

(CNN) — Americans often say they need to see a superstar to fall in love with a sport, and for years, soccer has come up just short in the US.

We had the likes of Clint Dempsey in the past, a clinical Premier League player but not quite the level of a superstar. Next up was Christian Pulisic, dubbed Captain America, who is arguably a bit better but struggles with consistency.

But now, following those halcyon World Cup days on home soil, the US has a new star breaking through: 17-year-old Cavan Sullivan.

The Philly native has long been on the radar of soccer lovers, ever since he made his Major League Soccer (MLS) debut for Philadelphia Union at just 14.

A record deal at his hometown club followed, as was a reported agreement with Manchester City to sign with the Premier League giant when he’s 18. Now, just one year away from that potential move, he’s making waves at the senior level and is now starring for the US Men’s National Team (USMNT).

It looks as though all that potential is now starting to be realized.

An electric talent

Expectation has followed Sullivan since he was even younger than he is now, and it’s not hard to see why.

The attacking midfielder, who can play centrally or drift in from the right flank, is box office when he’s in possession.

On a basic level, his foundations are elite. The ball sticks to his foot in possession and he has that explosive movement that terrifies defenders. He’s so much sharper than most, able to dart in any direction to evade danger.

But it’s his creativity that sets him apart from other youngsters coming through the ranks.

When the ball is at his feet, you get the sense that anything can happen. There are training videos online of Sullivan producing skills and tricks that don’t even have names yet. It’s a kind of talent that sells tickets and has caught the attention of USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino as he starts a new World Cup cycle.

The teenager, who has excelled for The Union by scoring seven goals and providing 12 assists in MLS this season, was called up to his first national camp this month and made his international debut in the US’ 4-1 thrashing of Peru on Saturday.

Sullivan was selected as a starter for that match, showing just how much faith Pochettino has in the emerging talent, who only turned 17 on Monday.

“I’m so happy with his performance, I feel really proud,” Pochettino said afterwards. “At 16 years old, performing, fighting and playing with personality, with character.”

Family influence

That character is no fluke – it’s the product of his upbringing in Philadelphia and molded by the soccer-obsessed household he grew up in. Both of his parents played at collegiate level and the youngest of four brothers followed in the footsteps of his three older siblings, all of whom play the Beautiful Game.

Cavan’s brother Quinn also plays professionally for the same club, the pair regularly turning out together for the U this season.

But it was at childhood club FC Delco, on the outskirts of Philadelphia, where Sullivan made his first steps as a future soccer prodigy.

Rob Elliot, general manager of FC Delco, has seen all the Sullivan boys pass through the various age groups at some point and has known the family for several years. For him, though, it was clear the youngest son was that little bit more special.

“Cavan must have been like nine years old, maybe something like that, but obviously back then, he was still a special talent,” Elliot tells CNN Sports.

“Every once in a while, some of these kids that come through are just built differently, right? Their mentality, their focus on what they do, it’s just different.”

Elliot says Sullivan started playing on the same team as his brothers, who were two years older than him, but he was still able to make an impact despite being so much younger than his teammates and the opposition.

It was the youngest Sullivan’s mentality that stood out most to Elliot in those early years – a ‘watch-this’ attitude that was rooted not in ego, but in hard work and perseverance.

He remembers getting Sullivan to write down his goals for the future. “Win the World Cup for FC Delco,” Sullivan wrote. And while that might not be possible, a career full of glittering moments isn’t a stretch for a player with so much talent and potential.

“He just was fearless about it. It didn’t matter what you threw in front of him, he was gonna attack it,” Elliot adds.

“In some ways, you don’t know any better at those ages, but you put a challenge in front of him, and he’s gonna figure out a way to tackle that challenge.”

Signs of a star

That was evident over the weekend when Sullivan made his debut for the US men’s team. Despite not registering a goal or an assist in just over an hour on the pitch, the youngster was never afraid to receive the ball and try to make something happen.

At one point, he was shown a yellow card for a late challenge on Peru’s goalkeeper, an incident that made opposition players protest in his face.

Sullivan’s response? Calmly walking away from the scene without looking fazed at all. That reaction spoke volumes about the sort of player he’ll develop into. It’s a cutting edge that makes him that little bit more special than the host of other youngsters coming through the US system at the moment.

It’s also an attitude that looked ever so familiar for Elliot.

“I remember he was playing against a kid two years older than him, probably a foot taller than him, and they get into a crunching tackle,” Elliot says, recalling a time when he knew Sullivan was destined for big things.

“This kid probably weighed 30 or 40 pounds more than him, but Cavan didn’t care. He went full into the tackle, got up, and stood over the kid as if to say, ‘Don’t mess with me,’ kind of thing.

“He’s really competitive, but he knows how to walk the line because he’s a really bright kid – just not backing down from anything.”

It’s incredible to think that Elliot first met Sullivan before he even became a teenager. And yet less than five years later, the youngster was making his MLS debut.

That’s a rapid journey that can come with pitfalls – many young stars have been put on a pedestal and failed to deliver on that promise. But Elliot is highly complimentary of the way Philadelphia Union has handled the youngster since he left FC Delco to join the MLS club’s academy in 2020.

Sullivan, for example, has never forgotten his roots and has been back to watch his former childhood team play since moving on, even joining sessions with his former teammates.

“He’s a soccer junkie,” Elliot says, laughing. “But he’s still a down-to-earth kid. Obviously, he’s got to deal with a lot of things that 17-year-old kids don’t have to deal with, right? But he’s brought up well, his parents have done a really good job, and again, I think the Union and everyone else around him have done a good job of staying true to who he is.

“I don’t think that will change for him. You know, he loves playing.”

Sullivan might get another chance to shine for the national team later on Tuesday as the USMNT faces Chile in a friendly.

And while his profile continues to rise and expectations increase, you get the sense that this precocious young talent has the ability to keep improving. The eyes of the world are already watching.

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