‘Brothers’ Cavan Sullivan, Frankie Westfield, and Neil Pierre getting called up to the USMNT together is ‘another level’
The trio of Pa. natives — all 20 or younger — came up through the Union Academy and are playing a big role in the team’s post-World Cup resurgence.
It was only a matter of time.
On Thursday, Union forward Cavan Sullivan earned his first call-up to the senior U.S. men’s national team. If the 16-year-old phenom makes his debut in one of the team’s four autumn friendlies, he will become the second-youngest player ever to play for the USMNT, behind just Freddy Adu.
Sullivan is widely regarded as one of the next faces of U.S. soccer. The Philadelphia native signed a contract with the Union at just 14 and is set to transfer to the Premier League’s Manchester City at the end of 2027. While his call-up seemed inevitable to most onlookers, Sullivan did not feel it was.
“I don’t think it was necessarily expected, in all honesty,” Sullivan said after practice Thursday. “I never really like to think about what may come. Obviously, it’s something every kid works toward and dreams of. But to finally get it, it made my year.”
» READ MORE: Cavan Sullivan earns his first USMNT callup, as do Union teammates Neil Pierre and Frankie Westfield
Added Sullivan: “This is a really exciting next step. It’s your first; I feel like I’ll always remember this one.”
Sullivan has been on a tear since the MLS resumed its season following the World Cup break. In 12 appearances, he has logged six goals and five assists, second only to Lionel Messi over that same span. His contributions have helped the Union to an 11-game unbeaten streak in league play. The team is currently in playoff position at seventh place in the Eastern Conference after a 1-10-4 start and the dismissal of manager Bradley Carnell.
Playing against older and more developed players is nothing new for Sullivan. However, the opportunity to play alongside some of the best players the United States has to offer is not lost on him. Head coach Mauricio Pochettino, who declined to reveal in past media engagements if he would call up Sullivan, selected 14 MLS players to star on his 28-man roster. The team also features players from the Premier League, the German Bundesliga, Italy’s Serie A, and Spain’s LaLiga.
» READ MORE: Cavan Sullivan cemented his case for making the U.S. men’s national team in the Union’s rout of San Diego
“[Playing up] sort of teaches you, you’re not always going to be like the fastest, strongest, biggest. [It’s] sort of cliche, but you got to learn how to manipulate defenders and pass and move and learn to combine with your teammates,” Sullivan said. “Just develop a relationship with the ball that’s more close to [your] feet. You won’t always be able to just touch it by a guy and sprint faster than him.”
Sullivan, whose older brother and Union teammate Quinn previously played for the USMNT under Pochettino, will have some familiar faces with him at camp. Union teammates Neil Pierre and Frankie Westfield also made Thursday’s roster. Like Sullivan, both players are products of the Union Academy and will be making their senior national team debuts.
On Thursday, Pierre noted that he was texting Sullivan and Westfield “nonstop” while they awaited the decision.
“[I] can’t even lie, me and the boys, like Cav and Frankie, were checking our emails 24/7,” Pierre said.
“We’ve been talking about this since we were 14-15, starting to go into national team camps,” he later added. “Like, how would it feel for all of us to go at the same time and individually going to like the men’s, that’s what you kind of dream for and try to get to. To do it is a great accomplishment and then also to do it with your brothers is just another level.”
» READ MORE: Cavan Sullivan does a LeBron James tribute, and hopes he’ll come to a Union game
Pierre, an 18-year-old centerback, towers over most of his MLS competition at 6-foot-7. Through nine appearances this season, he has scored four goals. However, he is being called up to the national team for his defense.
Next to Pierre on the Union’s back line has been Westfield, the team’s starting right back and, like Sullivan, a Northeast Philly native. His brother, Rocco, starred for Father Judge in basketball. Westfield has eight assists in 21 starts this season. He noted it was “nothing but happiness” for him and his teammates when they received the news, but he is not looking to slow down.
“I also don’t want to stop here. Always, the final goal is to make the roster for your national team, but I know I don’t want to stop,” Westfield said. “I want to keep going, keep trying for more, and stay there and produce.”
The three selections are just the latest for the Union Academy. The club saw four homegrown stars play for the U.S. men’s national team in the World Cup this summer: Brenden Aaronson, Matt Freese, Mark McKenzie, and Auston Trusty.
“We think it’s very well-deserved,” Union sporting director John Scheer said. “So happy for the players and their families who worked so hard over the years. I’d say it’s a proud moment for not only our first team, where they’re having really big roles and they’re high performers for our group, but for our entire club.”
