GLENDALE, Ariz. – “My stomach dropped,” said Cavan Sullivan when he found out he would start a few hours later on Saturday morning against Mexico – the USA’s arch-rival and key test in this exciting international window.
The teenager made his debut against Peru last weekend, but Mexico are a completely different animal. He shared the news with his parents and one of his brothers.
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“I was surprised. I was excited,” he said of the starting assignment. “I visualize and try to manifest good things” in preparation.
And then he fell asleep.
Later, he scored a goal in the 63rd minute of a 3–0 loss to become the youngest goalscorer in US men’s history at 17 years and 5 days.
He edged out another 17-year-old, Mathis Albert, who was invited by Mauricio Pochettino to his first camp at the start of the 2030 World Cup cycle.
Sullivan put high pressure on goalkeeper Raul Rangel, whose pass rolled to the American. It was wide of the target, but Rangel was woefully out of position and Sullivan, looking at the attractive net, didn’t hesitate to shoot.
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“I felt like I wasn’t going to get the ball and I just had to recover and get back into position,” he said. “Sometimes you get lucky and benefit of the doubt. I got the ball. From there I was just like, ‘I’m not going to dribble.’ I was a little too tired. I’m just going to chip it and I think the rest is history.”
History, indeed.
His teammates – on the field and on the nearby bench – rushed to join in the celebration at the corner flag.
“It wasn’t my imagination when I scored,” he later admitted, “but it was a celebration.”
Sullivan’s game of guile and quickness has drawn comparisons to retired US star Landon Donovan, who began his career as a teenager. Donovan’s first goal? Against Mexico, 26 years ago this month.
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“It just shows a willingness to go and press, to create turnovers, to press, to force [Rangel] to make a mistake,” captain Tyler Adams said. “That’s how we want to play the game. He is relentless in pressing. And then, obviously, when he took it [the pass] so I’m behind him. I’m like, ‘Just turn and shoot,’ and he did it perfectly.
Sullivan’s willingness to press and defend is an easily overlooked aspect of his game.
“I try to do it on both sides of the ball no matter the situation,” Sullivan said. “My father always said something [Michael, a former player] Growing up was trying to attack from defense. Obviously, I’m a striker, but when you win the ball during the press, you’re always in the best positions. It took time to get better in my defensive work and I still have a lot to do and develop, but yeah, it was a great moment.”
Pochettino prefers to give credit to the collective rather than the individual; it’s his ethos as a coach. Nevertheless, he spoke highly of his young student.
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“He’s a talented player with great quality, but he has very good balance, both in possession and when he’s not in possession,” Pochettino said. “He’s a fighter. He’s a fighter. It’s hard to find a player with that kind of great quality. … It’s incredible to have a player like that. It’s fantastic news for him. [the] USA. I hope it continues this way – it grows.”
Cavan Sullivan’s relentless pressure paid off against Mexico, forcing the mistake that led to his historic second-half goal.
(Sportswire icon via Getty Images)
Sullivan isn’t the only young player making a mark at this camp. 18-year-old forward Julian Hall became the first US player in more than 20 years to score in each of his first three matches. Pochettino also got contributions from 20-year-old goalkeeper Diego Kochen, who made his first start, and four young substitutes. In this window, six of the 11 goals in the USA were scored by teenagers.
“It’s a big moment because we have to be level with them,” Pochettino said. “We have to protect them. We have to support them. Now our responsibility is to make sure that this group of talented players develops in the right direction.”
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Sullivan is certainly headed in the right direction.
“It’s the best feeling I’ve ever had,” he said of his goal. “A big win, a big day for me, for my family. Yeah, what an honor.”
Other USMNT observations
***The final score did not reflect how the match started, with Mexico dictating the game and threatening to score the first goal.
“They force us to play back,” said Pochettino. “We never communicate. We lose all the duels, then after 15, 20 minutes we start to grow. It was a good lesson, [in] The first half because there was a sense of everyone working together, suffering together.”
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Zal’s goal from the rebound changed the color of the match.
“We are starting to find our way to play and I think we were better,” Pochettino said. “It was difficult for Mexico in the second half. We dominated in the second half.”
***The goalies situation seems open. Pochettino, who has four goalkeepers in the camp, gave each of them 45 minutes in the first two matches. On Saturday, Kochen went far.
Matt Freese is the incumbent, but his starting job was no longer assured after the World Cup round of 16 loss to Belgium. Kochen, Freese and newcomer Brian Schwake were in action against Mexico, while World Cup No. 3 goalkeeper Chris Brady was inactive.
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Pochettino suggested that Schwake will face Canada on Tuesday in St. Paul, Minnesota. Schwake, a standout for MLS leaders Nashville SC, made his debut in the second half against Chile in St. Louis on Tuesday.
“We have to give the goalkeepers the opportunity to play and perform – sometimes 45 minutes, sometimes 90 minutes,” Pochettino said. “I am very happy [about] four. They have a very good relationship.”