Emerging MLS trend? City bring in 14-year-old American prodigy
The Premier League is in the future for one of the most talked-about young soccer talents in MLS and US youth national team history.
Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, and Bayern Munich were among the clubs chasing the American sensation Cavan Sullivan. However, he has decided to play soccer in England – when the time comes.
It seems like the promising youngster will remain with his current MLS team, Philadelphia Union until he turns 18. At that point, Cavan Sullivan will transfer to Manchester City.
Biggest Homegrown Player contract on cards
Sullivan, who was born in 2009, debuted professionally at the tender age of 14. He took the stage with the Philadelphia Union II (second club) in the MLS Next Pro division. The left-footed talent appeared in 38 minutes of action against the New England Revolution. Interestingly, in his first game, he scored the game-winning goal and set up another on his debut.
He will supposedly remain with the Union until he is 18. Thus, he will sign the biggest Homegrown Player contract in Major League Soccer history, according to The Athletic. He will then be able to play for Jim Curtin’s first squad. Yet, it doesn’t give them carte blanche to enjoy him for four years.
The original agreement had Pep Guardiola’s squad sending Sullivan to Belgian second-division club Lommel SK when he was 16 years old, and then to England when he was 18. Nevertheless, the clubs revised the arrangement to ensure his properly supported growth in Philadelphia.
While this is going on, the City offer includes numerous extras and a substantial sell-on percentage. The exact amount that the Treble Winners have agreed to pay is not yet known.
However, in 2022, German club Augsburg paid $20 million to acquire American attacker Ricardo Pepi from Dallas. It set a new record for a departing domestic transfer in Major League Soccer.
It will also help him get to the point where he can work peacefully on his future. He will be able to move to England in time for the early 2027-28 Premier League season.
What can Manchester City expect of Cavan Sullivan in future?
Unlike any other period in USMNT history, the current crop of American soccer players is the product of a massive investment in youth development programs. That’s both at home and abroad.
However, no one anticipated that the United States would field a player with the kind of anticipation that 14-year-old Cavan Sullivan is receiving. It is Sullivan’s narrative that is remarkable.
No other player comes even close to being the top North American talent for his age. Furthermore, he is generally considered to be among the world’s most gifted adolescents, the report adds.
The 14-year-old was named the tournament’s most valuable player and captained the US U-15 team to victory in the 2023 CONCACAF U-15 Championship. His younger brother Quinn, who is 20 years old, has started every game for Philadelphia’s first squad as an attacking midfielder.
PHOTOS: IMAGO.