American football’s latest teenage record has fallen again. Cavan Sullivan, still only 17, scored in the United States’ 3-0 friendly win over Mexico in Glendale, Arizona, on Saturday to become the youngest goalscorer in the history of the senior national team.
Sullivan takes the record in Arizona
- Sullivan found the net in the 62nd minute as the United States defeated a Mexico side reduced to 10 men.
- At 17 years and five days old, the Philadelphia Union player became the youngest scorer ever for the US men’s team.
- He overtook Mathis Albert, his international teammate, who had set the previous mark only days earlier after scoring against Chile in a friendly at the age of 17 years and 131 days.
The goal added another landmark to an extraordinary rise for Sullivan, who can operate in midfield or from the wing. He had made his first senior international appearance the previous weekend, starting against Peru for Mauricio Pochettino’s side when he was 16 years and 354 days old.
No American player as young had appeared for the national team since Freddy Adu, the former teenage sensation of the 2000s whose career never met its early expectations.
A breakout MLS campaign
Sullivan has been one of the standout young players of the MLS season with Philadelphia Union. Across 16 starts, he has registered six goals and 11 assists.
His national-team breakthrough follows an earlier record in the domestic game. Sullivan made his MLS debut at 14 years and 293 days, becoming the youngest player ever to feature in the competition.
That appearance displaced another Adu record which had stood for two decades. Adu was 14 years and 306 days old when he first played in Major League Soccer in 2004.
Manchester City agreement awaits
Sullivan is already expected to join Manchester City once he reaches adulthood. For now, his record-breaking night against Mexico has made him the newest name at the front of American football’s youth movement.
