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It was revealing that Mauricio Pochettino needed a prompt to address Cavan Sullivan's stunning 35-yard chip after lavishing praise on the teenager's overall display against Mexico. Having enthusiastically run through all his tenacious technical attributes, the goal that made him the youngest scorer in U.S. men's national team history had somehow escaped Pochettino's attention.
That the USMNT manager was prepared to dedicate time to discussing an individual player speaks volumes about how highly Sullivan already ranks in Pochettino's eyes.
Back in the expansive press room at SoFi Stadium following the USMNT's commanding World Cup opener against Paraguay this summer, once the hum of an air conditioning unit had been switched off at his request, Pochettino deflected every question about individual performances. It was not an evening to celebrate Christian Pulisic, Folarin Balogun or Tim Ream. The team — and the supporters — earned the admiration of a manager who is consistently cautious about handing out too much individual credit.
Sullivan, it seems, is an exception to that approach.
"Talented," "tremendous," "unbelievable" were among the superlatives Pochettino deployed to celebrate the 17-year-old's contribution in Saturday's historic 3–0 win over Mexico. Sullivan is being treated differently because he is doing things differently from every other U.S. player Pochettino has encountered.
Sullivan Is Built in the Image of Pochettino
To be the future you must rewrite history. pic.twitter.com/MID0hojIEy
"He's a fighter. He's a warrior," Pochettino gushed while uncharacteristically opening up about Sullivan's performance. "It's difficult to find this type of player with tremendous quality with the ball, in possession, and then [he enjoys] when he needs to chase people and recover the ball. That is my impression after [two] weeks. And that is unbelievable to have a player like this."
It's that quality of "balance" — that shared intensity whether attacking or defending — which has so captivated Sullivan in Pochettino's estimation.
The Philadelphia Union prodigy earned the opportunity to embarrass Raúl Rangel with a long-range chip by pressing the Mexican goalkeeper. Pochettino and his coaching staff had in fact been urging Sullivan to continue charging toward the advancing custodian moments before his flash of brilliance. The forward instinctively held back his run to lure Rangel into a wayward pass that he would mercilessly punish.
"He's relentless in the way that he presses, his counter-pressing, all those things," USMNT's new captain Tyler Adams said after the match. Sullivan managed to accumulate as many defensive contributions against Mexico as Adams, the team's anchor at the base of midfield, despite playing 25 fewer minutes — a detail that will not have gone unnoticed by Pochettino.
Wise Head on Young Shoulders
Pochettino was not only impressed by Sullivan's conduct on the field. "I liked what he said after the game, 'The most important [thing] was the result.' [He's] learning every day," the U.S. boss said with a smile, "that is the good thing."
Sullivan may have only celebrated his 17th birthday on Monday, but he is a grounded individual with an intense work ethic and a clear vision for his career. This is a young man who does his chores and heads to training rather than socializing — he marked his recent birthday in the U.S. camp with a modest cake.
That commitment has been evident throughout his blossoming career. In preparation for a youth tournament in Spain, the then-13-year-old took a proactive approach to managing jet lag by gradually waking up half an hour earlier each day.
The magnitude of his first senior international goal nearly overwhelmed Pochettino's exciting new protégé, but not entirely. "If it wasn't so hype," Sullivan smiled, "I think I would've probably shed a tear."