He's too small/weak to be going up against grown men and be super effective, but I do think his skills will show out better with better players, particularly because his pluses seem to be tactical sense / vision and passing. It's too bad Carranza is gone -- Philly's attack isn't particularly capable without him.
They've scored 12 goals in the 9 games since he was held out/sold. Against Red Bulls they had an xG of nearly 3......
It’s fun to project that far out, but I also feel like we’re dreaming if we think there’s a good shot he makes it to WC26. He’d have to be starting for one of the City Group teams regularly in one of the top leagues and our usual guys who play the 8/10 would need to be hurt/out of form. We’d need something like Reyna hurt, McKennie in MLS and chubby, LDT hurt, etc. As for his first team debut I think he’s starting to make strides in not losing the ball carelessly/as often in MLSNP. However, I do agree with the last bit of your post about him potentially getting hurt against more grown men in MLS and mentally being affected by making a debut so early. I’m sure Philly has talked often with Cavan and his family about their plan for him, but still, he’s only 14.
I think this post is directed at me, although you didn’t quote me. I understand that. But those guys transitioned to mls in their late teens or early twenties. For me, if a team is going to put a 14-16 yo in an mls game, he needs to show that he is not challenged by the level of play in mlsnp first. Right now, mlsnp seems like an appropriate level for Sullivan. He shows great flashes but also gets bumped off the ball and/or gives it away pretty frequently too. If anything, I think his minutes at that level should be monitored, as it’s a little bit too physical for him right now. He has improved over the course of the season though.
Pulisic is the only our player who would be on that Spanish roster. Let's not hype our above mediocre players, that Sullivan should be as good as to make the team. The third best AM is who? And I don't know any upcoming super talents ahead of him either.
Ronaldo is the guy who everyone who played with him said would have been the best ever if he could have stayed healthy.
This is why it’s hard to project as we have no idea how the next two years of physical development will go for him and if he’ll be ready on that front.
My expectation is any playing time he gets this year is much more cameo experiences versus meaningful minutes.
Looks like half the Revs team is out for this one, seems like a good game for him to make his debut...
I agree, but I don’t really think giving him cameo minutes is appropriate right now. I get it if they have an open spot on the bench and he’s the best option to fill it, but that doesn’t mean he should see the field. And I also don’t think his play with the union 2 has merited senior minutes on its own. He’s looked good for a 14 yo going against guys who are mostly 3-7 years older than him, but he hasn’t been awesome or anything.
It’s mostly fine with me and we’ve seen a number of other MLS clubs do it with guys who weren’t necessarily ready for it. I think it’s good to give young players a taste of playing for the first team so they know what they are working towards and what not.
We get what this about. We see this going around the rest of the league for this midweek fixture. Fixture congestion plus international callups/injuries...................have led to open opportunities in matchday squads for young players. And of course, with the U20 CONCACAF Championships coming up, a team like Philly will even be losing Vazquez. NYCFC's matchday squad is looking really young. Will Philly play Cavan? I don't know. The whole thing seems like an over-reaction all the way around. The discussion is a little silly. As if appearing on a bench or making a garbage time cameo will be damaging for him. Also, the WC26 discussion is silly and premature. But hell, we're fans and its fun.
I don’t disagree with that, but I also think that some of the language Curtin is using and the actions the Union are taking are bordering on irresponsible. It’s nothing close to the Adu circus, but I think there are ways that they are encouraging the hype and saying things that IMO are not true. I do not at all believe that Sullivan’s play has merited time with the senior team. If Curtin were saying something along the lines of “we have multiple injuries and absences and need bodies on the bench. Cavan is doing very well with the union 2 and we are happy with his development and excited about his future, but he is primarily here to fill that role given our circumstances” it would make sense. But saying he’s earned his spot with the senior team just because he’s been solid for the union 2 is a huge stretch. And I simply don’t think it’s safe for Sullivan to be playing in senior matches now, regardless of the hype/potential effect on his ego.
I mean.......................Jim Curtin's actual comments on the subject basically say that. These are really innocuous comments. Curtin | "Sullivan will be in the 20 because he’s earned that" | Philadelphia Union "We are missing a few guys, obviously that goes his way when you have McGlynn and Harriel away as well, but Cavan's earned the right to be in the 20 if you just go through the numbers and he’ll get that opportunity now." "The next step is working hard to get your first minutes. Sometimes that might be one minute, that might be 15 minutes, that might be 90 minutes, but I think Cavan understands that and recognizes that."
I don't know what the argument even is. Philly needs bodies due to international callups, injuries, and fixture congestion. Cavan is on a first team contract and is available to be in the matchday squad. I'm sure Philly will have their other young players in the squad too. Maybe people are worried about him getting "delusions of grandeur" and then not putting in the necessary work. I just don't buy it. This kid has a great support system.
I don’t disagree, but he also said this: “Tomorrow he will be in the 20 because he's earned it, if you look at his performances in the Union II games and the goals that he scored," Curtin said. and the way that your second quoted paragraph is phrased, Curtin seems to be indicating that Sullivan is right there with the senior team, and that the next step is earning pt, which could be coming any time. I don’t think that is the next step, or at least I don’t think it should be. I think that truly shining with the union 2 at least another 8 months or so of physical development should be the next step. Curtin is sending signals that could be interpreted as him indicating that Sullivan will become a regular member of the first team in the near future. Some might not interpret it that way, and he might not be communicating that to Sullivan, but many could interpret it that way, and I don’t think that’s conducive to setting realistic expectations for fans and the media.
As long as he's playing lots of pro minutes who cares. Worst case scenario: 100% MLSNP 0% MLS Most likely: 80-90% MLSNP 10-20% MLS Very unlikely best case: 0-20% MLSNP 80-100% MLS The actual worst case is if he sits on the MLS bench getting 5-10 minutes a game and they don't have him getting regular minutes for Union II... given it's Philly who do a good job with player development and given Cavan's high profile I really doubt he's going to get lost in the shuffle like that.
Gotta start pitting our kids against each other at an early age for that engagement... 1813660473063071827 is not a valid tweet id Hopefully they both debut today 1813596934059491488 is not a valid tweet id
The kid has been training with the first team since nearly the beginning of the season..... Every players pathway and timeline is different. Development is not always a perfectly linear path.
Cavan Sullivan has been added to Fotmob I repeat Cavan Sullivan has been added to Fotmob https://www.fotmob.com/players/1630736/cavan-sullivan He wasn't on there just a few days ago lol Edit: Still not on fbref https://fbref.com/en/search/search.fcgi?hint=&search=cavan+sullivan&pid=&idx=