Cavan Sullivan, the 16-year-old Philadelphia Union midfielder already signed to join Manchester City when he turns 18, is finally showing on the pitch the potential that has been hyped since childhood. Having spent two years mostly on the bench after becoming MLS's youngest-ever debutant at 14, he has this summer earned a sustained run of starts, and statistical analysis of his performances suggests he is developing into a genuine star rather than a repeat of the cautionary tale of fellow prodigy Freddy Adu.

Sullivan has logged more minutes than any other 16-year-old in MLS since 2015, and takes 10.3% of his team's touches, the highest share for a teenage winger in at least a decade, second only to Alphonso Davies at that age. He has scored seven goals and provided seven assists in all competitions this season, with underlying numbers such as 0.48 expected goals and assists per 90 minutes ranking fourth among MLS teenagers with 1,000-plus minutes played. Advanced "possession value" ratings from the stats app futi rate his 2026 season as the second-best by any MLS teenager on record, behind only Gianluca Busio's effort at age 19.