The youngster dazzles on a Union breakaway, halting abruptly, back‑heels a cut‑back, watches the ball kiss the far post and bows, tipping an imaginary hat after the goal.
He then doubles the tally, threading a left‑footed strike between the keeper’s legs, and later crafts another goal by holding up play before lofting a teammate from the right wing.
And that all unfolded just this weekend.
It’s hard to stay calm when a 16‑year‑old, just a day shy of turning 17, matches Messi’s MLS and Leagues Cup involvement since the World Cup, fuels a ten‑game unbeaten streak, shatters Freddy Adu’s debut record by 13 days at 14 years 293 days, piles up six goals and five assists in his last eight games, and appears on the brink of his first USMNT call‑up.
Advanced metrics back his swagger, ranking his season as the best ever by a teenager, even eclipsing Alphonso Davies, and placing him as the league’s second‑best American right now.
What makes Sullivan so compelling is that his talent is tangible, not just theoretical.
And yet we can’t help wincing.
We’ve walked this path before. “That way madness lies, let me shun that,” warned King Lear.
American soccer has grown wary of elevating another prodigy, but the pull remains strong. The likes of Bobby Convey, Jamar Beasley, John O’Brien, Jozy Altidore, Juan Agudelo, Brek Shea, Julian Green and Gedion Zelalem all showed skill, physique and vision that proved hard to resist.