As if the rivalry between the U.S. men’s national team and Mexico needed anymore storylines, the upcoming clash between the bitter Concacaf foes features two of the most exciting young talents in the sport.
Those keeping close tabs on the USMNT and Mexico will know all about 17-year-old Cavan Sullivan and 17-year-old Gilberto Mora. The two youngsters represent a new era for both nations, one full of hope and promise as the 2030 World Cup cycle gets underway.
Now, they will come face to face when the Stars and Stripes clash with El Tri in an international friendly on Saturday, battling for glory under the lights at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
The pair might share an age, a burning desire to win and intense expectations, but their journeys on the pitch for both club and country have been remarkably different.
Sullivan’s Meteoric Rise in MLS
Many Major League Soccer fans were introduced to Cavan Sullivan for the first time back in 2024. At 14 years and 293 days old, the Philadelphia-native became the youngest player to ever debut in MLS, overtaking former prodigy Freddy Adu in the league’s history books.
Sullivan had signed his first-ever professional soccer contract with the Philadelphia Union two months prior, a deal that also includes a transfer to the Premier League’s Manchester City once he turns 18 years old. He split his time in MLS and MLS NEXT Pro in 2024 and 2025 before truly establishing himself in the top flight this season.
Following the 2026 World Cup break, Sullivan was granted a more regular starting position and went from a promising talent to an established star. The teenager turned heads with an impressive run of form in August before absolutely exploding in September with a league-high nine goal contributions in just four appearances.
Sullivan was named MLS Player of the Month for September 2026, becoming the youngest recipient of the honor at 17 years and two days old. When the phone call came from Mauricio Pochettino to represent the USMNT this fall, it was really no surprise.
The International Stage Is Sullivan’s Next Challenge
It’s one thing to perform in MLS week in and week out, but it’s a completely different challenge to impress for your country. Sullivan soon found himself surrounded by the best American players in the game, in a locker room with two-time World Cup representatives Tyler Adams, Antonee Robinson and Sergiño Dest, among others.
And the legendary Pochettino, who has managed the likes of Lionel Messi, Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappé, is now his boss.
It would be easy to balk under the newfound pressure, but that’s never been Sullivan's style. Instead, he impressed Pochettino so much that he got the nod in the USMNT’s first friendly of the international break against Peru.
Sullivan might not have walked away with a goal contribution in the team’s lopsided 4–1 win, but he did enough to garner some heartfelt praise from Pochettino: “I’m so happy with his performance, I feel really proud. At 16 years old, performing, fighting and playing with personality. With character.”
The Stars and Stripes rode their momentum into their next friendly, a 4–2 win over Chile. Sullivan only made a cameo appearance off the bench, which means he’ll be fresh for the USMNT’s date with Mexico on Saturday.
It would be a storybook moment for Sullivan to score his debut goal with the USMNT against its biggest rival. But there will be a teenager in a green shirt hoping to upstage him.
Gilberto Mora: From Unknown to Liga MX Superstar
You could argue that beyond the 1–0 win against Germany in the 2018 World Cup, the greatest contribution former Mexico national team manager Juan Carlos Osorio made for Mexican soccer came in 2024. Upon his arrival to Club Tijuana in the Liga MX Apertura 2024 season, the Colombian boss immediately promoted a then-unknown 15-year-old talent by the name of Gilberto Mora.
Three games later, Mora had become the youngest player ever to start a Liga MX game and the youngest goalscorer in division history. In a league that seemingly refuses to give young players a chance, what Tijuana did with their academy gem was instantly celebrated.
It took no time for Mexican soccer to understand why Osorio disregarded Mora’s age and promoted him. Mora’s rise has been meteoric over the past two years, establishing himself as Tijuana’s best player and one of the greatest teenage talents Liga MX has witnessed this century.
He’s been a Liga MX All-Star the last two years and even scored against the MLS All-Stars in 2025. He has also helped the modest Tijuana make the Liga MX playoffs in two of his four seasons as a professional, after the team had gone 10-straight campaigns without making the eight-team postseason.
Mora has amassed 62 senior appearances for the border city club and has 15 goals to his name—five of them coming during the ongoing Apertura 2026 term. This summer, he was given the No. 10 shirt and a brand new contract with improved terms.
It’s extremely unlikely Mora fulfills his contract, with his Liga MX performances leaving no doubt that he’s ready for the next level. But it’s his performances on the international stage over the past year that have caught the eye of some of the biggest clubs in the world.
More Than the Future, Mora Is Already Mexico’s Present
Since the summer of 2025, Mora has collected 15 senior caps for Mexico, not only breaking a number of records but looking beyond comfortable with the demands of senior international soccer.
It all started during the 2025 Gold Cup. Mora was a surprise inclusion in the roster, but when Luis Chávez tore his ACL early in the knockout rounds, manager Javier Aguirre turned to the 16-year-old gem as his replacement.
Mora started from the quarterfinal round onward, assisting the winner in the semifinal and then stealing the show in his true El Tri breakout against the USMNT in the final. When Mexico lifted the trophy, Mora overtook Lamine Yamal as the youngest player in history to win a senior international trophy.
A year later, a groin injury threatened to end Mora’s 2026 World Cup dreams, but after starting El Tri’s first two tournament games on the bench, the teenager took over. Mora became the youngest player since Pelé to start a World Cup knockout match. He was sensational against Ecuador as Mexico won its first tournament knockout match in 40 years. Although El Tri endured a painful elimination against England, Mora proved he belonged on the pitch against a team packed with world-class talents.
Mora was given Mexico’s No. 10 shirt ahead of the start of the Rafael Márquez era, clearly becoming the face of El Tri for the 2030 cycle. Unfazed by the pressure, Mora scored the first goal of the new era against Colombia last weekend, becoming the youngest goalscorer in national team history in the process.
Unlike Sullivan—who is almost a year younger—Mora is already an established international and is arguably Mexico’s most important player heading into Saturday’s clash. Up next for the Mexican wonderkid is securing what Sullivan has already locked down: a marquee move to European soccer.
