GLENDALE, Ariz. — With Cavan Sullivan’s first start for the U.S. men’s soccer team last weekend, it would have been just fine in the big picture if he had played a quiet game against Mexico on Saturday.
In the first half, that’s what happened. He didn’t do much on the attacking side, instead making more of an impact defensively with some smart high-pressings plays.
Early in the second half, Sullivan started to get on the ball more and made some incisive runs. They didn’t lead to goals, but they got attention.
Then, in the 62nd minute, came something straight out of a dream.
Mexico goalkeeper Raúl Rangel stood outside his 18-yard box, looking for a teammate to pass to. He was already having an awful night after gifting Julian Hall the U.S.’s opening goal in what ended up as a 3-0 win.
To say Rangel offered a softball would be charitable to home plates. His intended target, centerback Diego Campillo, was a good 20 yards away. The pass didn’t get even half the distance before Sullivan stuck out his left foot and intercepted it.
He was turned away from the goal right then, so he took two steps to turn toward it. The third step led to a left-footed swing from around 35 yards out.
The ball sailed up into the desert air, over Rangel, then right back down and in.
Bedlam ensued, from the field to social media. Sullivan ran to the stands near the corner where the U.S. substitutes were warming up, including Union teammates Frankie Westfield and Neil Pierre. They swarmed him at the wall, and were promptly joined by the entire U.S. squad.
When Sullivan emerged from the throng, he was in the middle of an embrace from two of the most important veterans, Chris Richards and Antonee Robinson. Tyler Adams soon came back around to give his own hug and some words of advice. Sullivan buried his head in the captain’s shoulder during the exchange.
The whole scene was as stunning as it was stirring. Sullivan was now the youngest scorer in senior U.S. men’s team history at 17 years and five days. But to have his first goal be against Mexico, in that manner, and with that kind of mass celebration?
There haven’t been many similar moments for any U.S. player in recent years.
Sullivan was ‘a little shocked’
“I’ll try to use some words, but I’ll just keep it simple with: It’s the best feeling I’ve ever experienced,” Sullivan said. “A huge win, a huge day for me, for my family. Yeah, what an honor.”
The family in attendance included his parents, Brendan and Heike, and his oldest brother Quinn, who had the weekend off with the Union not playing. Two of Quinn’s friends were also there.
They all saw what the crowd of 64,932 at State Farm Stadium saw, along with whoever stayed up late back east to watch on TV. Sullivan was up there alone, without any teammates or even any Mexican players nearby. It wasn’t how anyone would draw things up on a whiteboard, but it was reality, and he seized the moment.
“All I really remember is being isolated up there,” Sullivan said, and even “a little shocked” that he actually got the ball.
“I felt like I wasn’t going to get the ball, and I would just have to recover and get back into position,” he said. “But sometimes you get the luck and the benefit of the doubt.”
As Mauricio Pochettino watched from the U.S. bench, he figured Sullivan would run forward a few steps before shooting. Sullivan admitted he was a bit tired in the moment, so he decided to shoot instead of dribble.
“I was just going to chip it, and I guess the rest is history,” he said. “I also want to say thank you to the to the guys for running down celebrating with me, and making the moment even more special.”
The goal will make all the highlight reels and be what the fans talk about most from the night. But it shouldn’t be all that’s talked about, because Sullivan’s pressing was a big deal, too.
It’s not just the eye test that said he did more on that side of the game than in attack. Sullivan had only 28 touches in 65 minutes played and was just 7-of-14 passing. But he had three tackles, three defensive recoveries, and one interception, and won eight of the 11 duels he contested.
“I try and do it on both sides of the ball no matter what the circumstances are,” he said. “One thing I always was told by my dad growing up was, try and make offense out of defense. Obviously I’m an offensive player, but you’re always in the best spots when you win the ball during the press.”
He also admitted that “it’s taken time to get better at my defensive work, and I still have a lot to do and a lot to improve on. But yeah, it was a great moment.”
Pochettino praises ‘enormous quality’
Those words will probably end up painted on the walls at the Union’s academy, and not just because Brendan is a teacher there. So will Pochettino’s opinion of Sullivan’s performance, and his entire time with the U.S. team so far.
“He’s a talented player with enormous quality — but with a very good balance, in possession and out of possession,” the manager said. “He’s a fighter, he’s a warrior. It’s difficult to find this type of player.”
Go ahead and print the billboards, not just the newspaper headlines.
“I think Cavan enjoys [being] in possession, with the ball at the feet, [just] like when he needs to chase people and recover the ball,” Pochettino continued. “That is my impression after nearly three weeks together. And that is unbelievable, to have a player like this. I think it’s fantastic news for the USA. I hope that he continues in that way, growing.”
Sullivan’s teammates get it, too. They knew of his reputation before this U.S. camp started, whether from playing with him on youth teams, facing him in MLS, or seeing highlights from abroad. Now they know even more.
“Just the willingness to go and press to create turnovers, to put pressure, force them to make mistakes — that’s how we want to play the game,” Adams said. “He’s relentless in the way that he presses, his counter-pressing, all those things. And then when he picks him off like that, I’m right behind him. I’m like, ‘Just turn and shoot,’ and he did it perfectly.”
Perhaps some fans watching were surprised to see this side of Sullivan’s game, since his reputation is for attacking flair. But Westfield, his friend on and off the field for years, has seen plenty of both.
“He puts his hard work in every single day,” he said. “He’s a fit guy, he’s going to run for the team. He’s not just that fancy guy that’s going to dribble — he’s going to put in that hard work and do what he can to help the team succeed. And you saw that tonight.”
It can be risky to crown American soccer players when they’re teenagers, given how many haven’t lived up to the hype over many years. Sullivan still has a long way to go before he has fully made it, whether with the Union or what lies ahead in Europe.
But for now, we are watching a talent blossom in real time. It’s a privilege in any sport, and this one plays the biggest sport of all.
“I think we’ve just got to stop talking about his age,” Adams said. “He’s here for a reason.”
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