Ranking Cavan Sullivan and the Rising Stars of the USMNT

If there's one word that's defined the beginnings of the U.S. men's national team's march to the 2030 World Cup, it's this: youth.

For the USMNT's first camp after their Round of 16 defeat to Belgium this past summer, head coach Mauricio Pochettino called up 13 players awaiting their senior international debuts. All 13 of them debuted in a four-game window that featured friendlies against Peru, Chile, Mexico, and Canada.

Next up for the United States is a two-legged Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal clash with Haiti later this month. Ahead of those games, which will feature a smattering of young players yet again, it's helpful to consider: which U.S. talents are worth paying especially close attention to both this month and beyond? 

Let's break down the top talents in the United States' pool.

7. Neil Pierre, 19, Center Back, Philadelphia Union

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With Tim Ream announcing his retirement during the last international window, the USMNT has a vacancy at center back. Might Neil Pierre, just 19 years old, be the one to fill it?

Standing at 6'7", Pierre is a giant in the backline. His elite defensive range has already made him a standout for the Philadelphia Union and helped him earn his senior international debut during the fall camp. Pierre can chase down balls in behind his own backline like no other player at Pochettino's disposal for the United States — and like very few players on the planet, period. Pierre has a bit of refinement to do yet when it comes to his defensive decision-making. Still, that should come with repetitions. 

Elsewhere in his game, Pierre's set-piece prowess is downright astonishing. He scored 5 goals in just 1,560 minutes for Philadelphia in the MLS regular season and is a danger on dead balls in a way that even the vaunted John Brooks wasn't for the USMNT. While Pierre's distribution is a work in progress, he's chock full of promising tools that could pay dividends for the national team.

6. Justin Ellis, 19, Striker, Orlando City

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Justin Ellis, like Hall, scored multiple goals in his first U.S. camp. He bagged a goal on his debut against Peru to begin the window and scored a gutsy goal against Canada, even while nursing an injury suffered earlier in the match. 

Those goals illustrate Ellis' budding potential in the box as a true striker — but likely weren't the things that drew the attention of Pochettino and his coaching staff in the first place. No, the Orlando City youngster's best skill is his work on the ball. A brilliant passer, combiner, and carrier, Ellis brings a level of comfort in possession matched by perhaps no one else in the U.S. player pool outside of Gio Reyna. Even when stuck in the tightest of corridors, the 19-year-old seems to always find an escape route.

Whether his future with the USMNT is as a lone striker or as some sort of second forward or attacking midfielder, Ellis has the on-ball nous to play a major role moving forward.

5. Mathis Albert, 17, Winger, Borussia Dortmund

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For a moment, Mathis Albert's name was in the record books. With his goal in the United States' victory over Chile in September, the Borussia Dortmund teenager became the youngest scorer in USMNT history. Then, a few days later, Sullivan rewrote the record books with his strike against El Tri.

Don't let the turning tides of history fool you, though. Albert is absolutely a player to monitor. Though his lone start of the September-October window didn't result in fireworks, he was a spark plug off the bench in the U.S.'s other three contests. With his smooth dribbling, the 17-year-old can glide through opposing defensive shapes with ease. He's also a savvy mover off the ball, making smart runs either in behind or into spaces between the lines. 

Albert is still settling in at Dortmund, but few players in the U.S. pool are better equipped to pull off slaloming runs and tight turns under pressure.

4. Peyton Miller, 18, Left Back/Left Winger, New England Revolution

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Entrusted with a start in the USMNT's first game of this new World Cup cycle, Peyton Miller quickly looked up to the level of the international game. Of course, there are much sterner tests out there than Peru, a team the U.S. beat 4-1 in that match in September. But at least one thing was clear from Miller's first taste of the senior national team and from his minutes with the New England Revolution: the youngster is rapid.

One of the fastest players in MLS, Miller's blazing speed has been a huge part of his success across multiple positions. 

Used by Pochettino as a left back in his lone start, Miller has played more as a winger than a fullback for New England manager Marko Mitrovic. He played as a winger at times for the U.S. in the last camp, too. Thanks to his mixture of speed, goal threat, and vision, Miller posted 14 goal contributions in the regular season. Though he's the lone player on this list missing the USMNT's November window (Miller is dealing with an injury), he won't be in MLS for much longer.

3. Julian Hall, 18, Striker, Red Bull New York

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One of the standouts of the United States' first post-2026 World Cup camp, Julian Hall bagged a trio of goals in the fall window. Those three goals? They came in back-to-back-to-back games, making the teenage striker just the third player in U.S. men's national team history to notch a goal in each of his first games in the red, white, and blue.

Hall's nose for goal is undeniably his standout quality. With clever movement inside the box and a willingness to throw himself at service, the 18-year-old striker already has a veteran knack for putting the ball in the back of the net. 

Hall is more than just a poacher, though. With underrated skill on the ball, he's been used as a winger and as a No. 10 at times by Red Bull New York manager Michael Bradley — who knows a thing or two about the USMNT — this season in MLS. His best position is clearly as a No. 9, but that Hall has been trusted to deputize elsewhere points to his varied skill set. He's also a tenacious presser, which should endear him to any manager he crosses paths with during his promising career.

2. Adri Mehmeti, 17, Defensive Midfielder, Red Bull New York

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It's entirely possible that the United States has never produced a male prospect like Adri Mehmeti. The 17-year-old, who earned his first USMNT call-up in the fall window, has unparalleled comfort on the ball at the base of midfield. A smooth defensive midfielder who grew up idolizing Sergio Busquets, Mehmeti became an every-game starter for Red Bull New York in his very first season of top-division soccer.

You can see why Michael Bradley has entrusted him with such a big role so quickly. Mehmeti is far more likely to dazzle on the ball than any deep-lying midfielder in modern U.S. men's national team history. Just look at how he swept past a World Cup winner in Rodrigo De Paul in the Red Bulls' impressive 2-0 win over Inter Miami last month:

Mehmeti's defensive work still has room to grow, but with his smart positioning off the ball and his brilliant work on it, he looks like a star in the making.

1. Cavan Sullivan, 17, Winger, Philadelphia Union

The youngest goalscorer in USMNT history, Cavan Sullivan announced himself on the international stage during the fall window. His left-footed chipped goal from well outside the box against Mexico was, undoubtedly, the stand-out moment of the four games.

That he has already been entrusted with multiple starts by Pochettino speaks to how highly the Argentine views Sullivan. Pochettino is certainly not alone in that, either. Already agreed to a Manchester City deal that will trigger a move after his 18th birthday, the clever attacker has been a standout in MLS this season for the Philadelphia Union. Voted the top young player in the league, Sullivan averaged a staggering 0.79 non-penalty goal contributions per 90 minutes in the regular season.

With top-tier dribbling ability, ball-striker, and passing vision, Sullivan is already one of the best attackers on this side of the Atlantic — and he's still just a kid. The future is blindingly bright.