It's 2024, the age of social media. Is what he's doing all that crazy? It's not like he's barnstorming the country doing all types of events. It just seems like people who don't like the league are grasping at something. Instead of celebrating something good (a potential world class talent is being developed in MLS!), they're desperate to find something to bitch about. As far as his development goes, is there anything that's so out of line? He debuted in MLS at 14. So what? He'll continue to get some experience there (mostly on the bench) and in MLSNP. He'll get opportunities to train abroad in the off season. He'll progress as his body and talent and drive allow him to, and that will bring more opportunities as they are warranted. Where's the beef?
I have no clue what the beef is. As soccer fans in this country, we should WANT attention on the league and its young/promising players. And its really bizarre for this youth forum for years to keep shouting "this kid is great, pay attention to him"...........................and then act horrified when he gets the attention. We can stop clutching our pearls. The kid will be fine. The player has crushed it at every youth level, so he was promoted to the reserve team. He was promoted to the MLSNP team based on performance, not on hype. He had 2 goals and 2 assists in like 500 minutes with that team. So when the Union had an empty spot on their first team roster, they called him up. They played him, and he did fine. [If that game wasn't a blowout, I don't think they play him. An unproveable opinion, but it is what it is.] Then when the first team players came back, he returned to the reserve team. This is no different than if an MLB team has a spot in their roster available, so they dip into the AAA team to nab Jackson Holliday or somebody. Then when the first team players return to health or whatever, Jackson Holliday goes back to AAA. To me its a sign of the system working. We have these MLS Next and MLNP pro teams and pathway for a reason. The cream will keep rising to the top. Age to me is irrelevant. If you're good enough, you're old enough. Its so bizarre that this board demands MLS give time to young players. Then when it does, people complain about it. Why? I don't know. Some sort of weird form of self-loathing. And if you're an MLS-hater, that's fine. The kid was already sold to Manchester City. You can put your Eurosnob card away. That's based on his current talent level. But he can't go to Europe until he's 16. So he has to be playing somewhere until then. Philadelphia is one of the best places to be in the country. They're going to take care of him. They wouldn't play him if they didn't think he could handle it. Maybe I'm the only one who feels that way, but I do.
Yeah, it makes me think of some of the bullshit that people have said about Pulisic: "If he hadn't have gone to Europe, he wouldn't have developed because MLS doesn't recognize talent and he was too small and MLS doesn't play young players!" People actually say these things.... It's coming from the opposite angle this time, but it makes the same amount of sense.
This should summarize the desperate smokescreen agenda. the same ? question mark pretentious everyone is dumb/imaginary responses are always followed after every deep analysis by posters who believes the kids welfare is more important than the $$$ and marketing attention he gets for corporations. Im actually proud there are some child protectors in here. Its irrelevant if Cavan is still going to 100% reach his potential. Its the principal that matters.
It’s the incessant name calling a ridiculing that gets me. Places like this are great because you get to see and learn about all kinds of opinions. Many times, it changes the opinion I had already formed. Calling out the stupid shit MLS does, doesn’t make one a Eurosnob. Supporting MLS doesn’t make you a Don Garber shill. What’s strange is, we all want our program to improve and our players to succeed. It’s crazy that different opinions on the path to take can cause so much angst.
Someone call CPS -- the Sullivans are abusing their poor child! Give me a break. And, I'm sorry if this is seen as ridiculing you, but what gives you the right to call out the Sullivans suggesting that they are endangering their child? You are not standing on principle here, and you are not a "child protector" with this stance. You are making a claim that is slanderous and way out of line -- unless you are close enough to the situation to know something that the public doesn't.
To be fair, I haven’t seen one person even mention the parents, much less call them out. They have a great track record.
Well, then the implication is that the parents are not involved, and we all know that is far from the case.
Meh, I'd settle for a USSF that actually gave a flying fvkc about WINNING, moreso than hosting stoopid cashgrabs. MLS is all about the cashgrabs, like "Nations League," or whateverthefvkc that thing is, so who gives a fvkc about them? MLS kinda sucks, but its equally stoopid for him to go to an Oil club like Citeh, when he's never ever going to be coached by Pep, and he's highly unlikely to actually play for Citeh. They'll buy approximately 40 other players in his same position, he'll be blocked by players bought by their oceans of cash, and the rotting on the bench will set in for him.
No. The implication is MLS is going to squeeze the turnip dry. When you sign a contract with the league and not the club, they can do what they want. Doesn’t matter what the parents or Philly front office thinks might be too much.
Where did all these reasonable people come from? I mean these people seem to be able to actually think for themselves.
It really is funny to see these cheerleaders get all excited about Man City in this forum, while the US soccer fan and other MLS cheerleaders ragung about how Slonina's loan to league 1 right now. Man City can great and horrible for the same person. MLS has never help develop a top american soccer player and large EPL clubs have never helped develop a top American soccer player, so let's celebrate signing with MLS as a marketing ploy and agree to future sale to a loan army. I wonder if they make big life decisions like this in real life? The only decision they have made in this case is that they will support whatever happens.
In other news, Philly II has a game tomorrow at 4. Let's all prepare to use his performance as supplemental evidence to why MLS is or isn't ruining his career.
Cavan Sullivan is a 14 year old kid, so it's weird to suggest that his father, who has bookoos of experience in this matter, does not have a very large say his career choices. If Cavan is in being put in danger, there aren't many other people who could be culpable for that. Squeeze the turnip dry by making a bunch of social media content about him? It's an interesting take that MLS is actively ruining Cavan Sullivan. What stuff exactly do they control that's so awful for him? What is Manchester City doing during all of this? They aren't keeping tabs?
He'll get training opportunities with them, but City won't be in sight any time soon, I don't think. He's likely focused on Philly right now. Then, it would be amazing if an opportunity at Girona or something like that materializes at some point.
I’ve tried to have a civil dialogue as to why some of us have opinions like we do. Your exaggerations aren’t warranted, nor are they in good faith. Not one time has someone said his father (who is a great guy) doesn’t have a say in his career choices. Not one time has anyone in here said he is in danger. There is a big difference in career choices, which have already been made and what is or isn’t too much off the field. Once his contract was signed, along with one of his guardians, the league will do whatever they want to do to get whatever they can from him. Do you not understand that’s how it works? MLS has never been able to successfully market their teams on the field. In turn, they manufacture things and seek their publicity through individual players off the field. As for your second part. Again with the exaggerations. Please find where any poster has mentioned MLS ruining his career. How does it go from disagreeing with some of the things they are doing to “ruining his career.” You’re seeking attention with your daft replies. What is it City is doing? City can’t do anything. The kid isn’t a City player. They have no rights to him until the transfer occurs. Sure, they will monitor him, they will have him over to train, but as of this moment they have no control. MLS is in total control, that much is obvious.
I think he might have tracked down one post from me that went over the top. I think the words I said were "I expect them to ruin his career" (reasonable view based on history), but my actual view is "this has a good chance to ruin his career". Hopefully, that clears it up and this tangent doesn't need to consume the discussion.
Meh, the Oil emirs at Citeh saw a chance to invest in a piece of meat to resell later. "Buy low, sell high." He'll get a few "training opportunities," give some over here "the vapors," but him becoming anything of note at such a massive club is remotely unlikely. Him signing at the age he did was ridiculous, and him signing at such a massive club was foolish.
A big part of a player's career path is where he starts out, and whether or not that club, like gives a flying fvkc about your development at all, and whether or not that club can actually develop that player or not. So, when mouthbreathers fell all over themselves to celebrate a 14 year old being signed to a massive oil club, i rolled my eyes. On the one hand, Mbappe had to start at a smaller club in his youth before going to Monaco, before he became "MBAPPE!" OTOH, someway, somehow, this ONE KID is gonna shortcut the natural process, and this ONE KID is gonna change the behavior of a massive oil club, when they dispose of prospects like a used kleenex. Right. And you can draw a straight line between the starts of both Sullivan's and Gaga's careers: MLS, then stoopidly going to massive EPL clubs, where they will rot on the bench, because those clubs have so much cash, it does not matter if their young players develop or not. I hope it works out, somehow, but it is and was and will forever be a cautionary tale for young players to go to a massive club too soon.
So obnoxious!!! The guy seems smart enough to not give a shit about that stupid tournament*. Pretty sure he made that clear with the following statement.... "or whateverthefvkc that thing is" *amusing watching the tournament being an absolute failure this year. I'm sure they are confused by why it jsnt as popular as last. I guess that is what happens when making an aging superstar and 15 yo your only marketing plan.
Starting for Philly 2 vs Chicago fire at 4pm (45mins from now) on apple tv apple.co/3Pn9SU6 Your Starting XI vs @ChicagoFireFCII #DOOP | @MLSNEXTPRO pic.twitter.com/ZbKZjy9Cnm— Philadelphia Union II (@PhilaUnionII) August 10, 2024
Yup, if it were important enough, I'd bother to recall it. These cashgrabs are not worth the time, nor the effort to recall one from the other.
Even if City's main purpose for acquiring Cavan is to sell him, they will want his value to be as high as possible. The idea that they don't care about him or his development simply doesn't make sense. Also, he isn't starting out at Manchester City. He is starting out in Philly. There will be other options between Philly and City as he progresses. Those options include teams in Belgium, France, and Spain depending on which fit seems best There is no perfect path or guaranteed track. I'd trust the people around Cavan (mainly his dad and Ernst Tanner) to be able to make a solid decision about that though. It's weird that random people on Big Soccer are so certain that they know better.