Manchester City Close to Signing Cavan Sullivan

Cavan Sullivan's meteoric rise continues to capture attention. After becoming one of the first players born in 2009 to participate in the pre-season with the Philadelphia Union's second team, he had an exceptional 2023 season, clinching the Concacaf U-15 championship and earning the prestigious Most Valuable Player award. Now, Manchester City appears poised to secure the young American.

Exclusive information from Fabrizio Romano indicates that Manchester City has outmaneuvered rivals such as Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, and Bayern Munich in securing a contract agreement with Cavan Sullivan. The deal is set to materialize once the young prodigy turns 16 and becomes eligible to move to Europe.

The pursuit of Cavan Sullivan by European powerhouses commenced in 2023, following his standout performances in the Generation Adidas Cup. Despite being a year younger than his peers, Sullivan's exceptional displays against teams like Arsenal FC and Real Madrid caught the eye of scouts. Notably, in 2022, he even had a stint with Borussia Dortmund U-15, participating in the Kevin De Bruyne Cup as the youngest player on the team and faced players two years older than him.

His recent exploits at the MLS Next Fest earlier this year earned him a spot in the Philadelphia Union II preseason squad in Florida, where he showcased his talents in two matches. It is anticipated that he will be a key figure for the team in the upcoming season.

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Young Stars Shine: Eight Academy Players Make Professional Debut

The commencement of the MLS Next Pro saw the debut of several young talents, with seven players born in 2008 and one born in 2009 making their first appearances in professional competition over the weekend.

Omar Marquez debut occurred in the Real Monarchs vs. Portland Timbers 2. The forward who arrived at the Real Salt Lake academy in 2022 dazzled with high-level performances last season which earned him a professional agreement with Real Monarchs in early 2024. Marquez entered in the 72nd minute and had some good moments at the match.

Adrian Sanders was another of the outstanding young players to debut this weekend in the game between LAFC 2 and Minnesota United 2. The central defender was part of the starting XI and completed the 90 minutes and receiving a yellow card. In this game, Jude Terry also made his debut. The young prospect entered in the 79th minute, replacing Adrian Wibowo and gained his first minutes in MLS Next Pro.

In the game between Houston Dynamo 2 against Sporting KC II, Omar Bolaños made his debut. Bolaños started in the starting XI, completing 61 minutes on the field. Myles Gardner also made his debut, being the first player born in 2009 to make his official debut. Gardner came on in the 90th minute, being a milestone for the generation born in 2009. Young central defender Ian James made his debut in Sporting KC II. James entered in the 56th minute, replacing Jonathan Robinson and thus making his professional debut.

Rogelio Garcia entered the match between Colorado Rapids 2 and St. Louis City SC 2, being the first player born in 2008 to debut for Colorado Rapids. Rogelio Garcia's story was one of great excitement last year after failing to join the Sporting Kansas City academy and remaining on the ECNL's Oklahoma City Energy team. A year later, Garcia made his professional debut.

Vitaly Hlyut for his part entered the game between his team Chicago Fire II against FC Cincinnati 2 being the only player born in 2008 on his team and in that game. Hlyut is a highly rated player by Chicago Fire and it is expected that he will see more minutes over the course of the season.

An Annual U-17 FIFA World Cup?

The FIFA Council has confirmed that the FIFA U-17 World Cup will be expanded to 48 teams and will be held annually instead of every two years, and it was also confirmed that the next five editions of the competition, starting in 2025, will take place in Qatar.

This announcement last week has generated great expectations in youth football since starting in 2025 the U-17 World Cup will be held annually, benefiting all players and fundamentally young people born in odd years who for different reasons in many times they could not be part of this event. At the same time, with this expansion to 48 countries, the level of competition and integration will be higher in many countries which will be able to have more opportunities to maximize their development and structure at the youth level.

Qatar will host the next 5 events as it has the necessary conditions to host the world cup. Starting in 2030 it will be able to be hosted by different countries, which will be a great step for the growth of youth football worldwide.