Cavan Sullivan: youngest US goalscorer in Mexico win

Cavan Sullivan is the youngest US goalscorer in history. He was 17 years and five days old when he lobbed Mexico’s goalkeeper in a 3-0 friendly win that will be remembered for his name alone.

His goal broke a record that had stood for only five days. Mathis Albert set the previous mark with a goal against Chile on Wednesday, and Sullivan took it from him before the week was even out.

Sullivan is already Manchester City’s player in waiting. The teenager signed for the club at 14 and is due to move to the Etihad next season, though City’s guilty verdict in the Premier League’s 115-charge case has clouded the timing of that switch.

Cavan Sullivan’s record goal: how it happened

Julian Hall opened the scoring in the 28th minute, giving the USA a lead they never surrendered against their oldest rivals.

Sullivan doubled it soon after with a finish as composed as it was historic, lifting the ball over Mexico’s goalkeeper from the edge of the box.

“I just remember chipping the ball, hoping it didn’t hit the crossbar or go over,” Sullivan said. “I was getting nervous when it was in the air and then everything was a blur.”

Mexico’s afternoon then got worse. Luis Chavez was sent off in the 68th minute for shoving his hand into Sebastian Berhalter’s face, leaving his side to play out the rest of the game a man short.

Malik Tillman added the third 16 minutes later to complete the 3-0 win, full detail of which is in our full report on Sullivan’s record.

Sullivan had not expected to start the game.

He said the feeling of the night went beyond the surprise of hearing his name read out in the line-up, it was something he had pictured since he was a small boy.

Asked what the goal meant to him, he put it simply: “These are the moments you dream of when you’re a three, four, five or six-year-old.”

Why the City question matters

Sullivan remains a Philadelphia Union player for now, turning out in MLS week to week.

Manchester City secured his signature as a 14-year-old back in 2024, and he is still set to join the club next season on the terms agreed back then.

That timeline now sits awkwardly alongside City’s wider position. The club were found guilty of breaking the majority of the 115 financial rules they were accused of breaching, a verdict they are expected to appeal, as set out in our City charges update.

None of that cancels Sullivan’s move. City are fighting a case of this size, and at the same time they are trying to land one of the most watched teenagers in American football. That contrast is picked up in a Manchester City angle on his rise since the 2024 signing.

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