He’s extremely talented. But the marketing/hype circus around him at this age by Philly is ridiculous and amateur hour BS. Nothing good will come of it. The sooner he goes overseas via City the better, so he gets into environment where he’s just one of the others.
Well it can’t happen for more than two years at least as the earliest he can go is at 16 (and not to City till 18).
Alright, he made it onto the field. That's the first step. 500 minutes across all comps would be nice.
Yes and I believe that’s the plan, for him to go at 16/17. As for now I simply strongly dislike this hype machine here. If one thinks he’s a legit Pulisic level talent or even better, I would strongly suggest Puli benefited being surrounded by big names at the BVB academy where you’re nothing special, away from the US spotlight, just put your head down and go to work until 17.
Yeah the union/mls aren’t helping matters either by pre-planning and promoting things like his debut. If he’s good enough, they’ll get all the attention they want. If he’s not, people will look back on this stuff and think they look like fools, much like the Adu saga. And it’s just a big distraction for Sullivan. He seems to have a good work rate, which is encouraging, but he’s also developing a big ego as well.
Freddy Adu had a hype machine. People who didn't follow soccer had heard of Freddy Adu. I'm not sure that's remotely the case with Cavan. Being 14 y/o in a good professional league is simply notable. His debut is a special moment for him and his fam. And as the kid is from a soccer family heshould be OK. And the Union have plenty of experience bringing young players through. Sometimes, folks stress over nothing.
It’s not just Philly. Today Cavan Sullivan makes his debut for @PhilaUnion, making him the youngest player to debut for @MLS in the league’s history.The signing of Cavan is a great example of our player pathway — from @MLSNEXT to @MLSNEXTPRO — and we’re proud to see him make @MLS his league of… pic.twitter.com/ccoJiQyPGW— Don Garber (@thesoccerdon) July 18, 2024
They marked a milestone it’s not a huge deal. He’s going to be spending the majority of his time with Union 2 for the time being so it’s not going to be the Freddy Adu situation all over again (who I believe was also at the time the highest paid player in the league).
There is a plan...... https://www.youtube.com/live/VqYI1f26QUo?si=g9xI4GQncWB9EvFz But hey, feel free to jump to your conclusions
The irony in all this is, the effect they were aiming for (the Caitlin Clark effect), Ms clark put up WNBA record 19-assists during Cavans debut. Completely overshadowing this debut. Best thing to happen. But im sure there is an 11-year old somewhere whos ready for his debut too.
He felt the pressure of Cavan and played his best game of the year. Female gymnasts and figure skaters are hyped at this age all of the time and also get unlimited practice from a very young age. Not sure how it affects them or if it's a good idea to even let them compete at top competitions at that age but it's happened for decades in those sports. My worry for Cavan is he gets overworked and has a injury spell like Pulisic, Adams and Reyna. Pretty sure there should be some minute restrictions that ease up every year until a player is deemed ready for a full load of minutes in practice and games. A 14 year old shouldn't be tasked with a full grownups workload.
Yeah, if he’s going to flop because a fact about him is mentioned, pro sports is the wrong line of work to pursue.
Thanks for noting that there isn't actually any irony here! These are certainly some words. There's no controversy over whether Sullivan is ready to make his debut for his shorthanded club. Have you actually read the thread you're commenting in?
I think the thing is him making a five minute debut is not a big deal and we’ve seem a number of 15 year olds in recent years make similar debuts. I assume he’s still going to be spending the vast majority of his time with Union 2 for now and if that’s the case I’m not particularly worried about things. I also assume the Union and Man City have agreed upon whatever the plan is for now.
He looked fine. I don't know what the concern is. He excelled at the U15 level, so they promoted him to the U17s. He excelled with the U17s, so they promoted him to the MLSNP team. He's been playing well with the MLSNP team, with 2 goals and 2 assists of late. They had an opening on their bench with the first team due to injuries/international callups/fixture congestions, and so put him on it. He's on a first team contract. He came on and played fine. Had a nice shot on goal that was saved by the keeper. This isn't some Freddy Adu thing where they threw him straight into an MLS first team right away. The kid keeps earning opportunities and advancement based on performance. Just like the other kids on MLS benches last night. Maximo Carrizo with NYCFC, Peyton Miller with NE. Mykhi Joyner with St. Louis, etc. etc. Last night seemed to be a real league-wide night of squad rotation, letting some kids get a chance. I don't know what the problem is. I thought, in fact, that this is what people want from MLS. For the league to develop, play, and market young USMNT-eligible players. [As far as the WC26 thing, 99% of people seem to be on the same page. Its too early to make any kind of determination about that. Performance will determine it. But we're fans, and we're allowed to get carried away with ourselves.]
If you can ignore the dish-washing in the background, this is sorta quintessential Cavan right here. He came right on in this game, and was a threat. He wasn't just a little passenger out there for the experience. He's about to turn 15. Last year in MLS, three 15-year-olds played (Julian Hall of NYRB, Stiven Jimenez of Cincinnati, and Axel Kei of RSL). It wasn't a sign of the apocalypse. Instant impact from Cavan Sullivan, a nice drive and shot on goal from the 14 year old. Despite being the youngest-ever MLS player, he’s not scared. pic.twitter.com/0Zh2P3l0lp— American Ultras Talk (@ameriultrastalk) July 18, 2024
I thought he looked better than fine. He looked good. Clearly, he is built really well for soccer, he is quick even compared to adults and what I liked best is his showing straight off the dribble with no deceleration. He also had one bad touch where he lost the ball needlessly.