US Rout Peru 4-1 with Eleven Debutants and a 16-Year-Old Stealing the Show

Eleven debutants in a single match. Read that again: eleven. And among them, a 16-year-old kid who was probably doing homework before training last week. The US men's national team routed Peru 4-1 at Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando, and did it with a squad so young that the average age of the starting eleven was just 23 years old. The name that grabbed every headline was Cavan Sullivan, but the story of the night was much bigger than one player.

Peru jumped ahead early with a goal from Justin Ellis in the 4th minute for the home side, but Gianluca Lapadula leveled things before halftime. In the second half, the US flipped the script: Malik Tillman converted a penalty (after a foul drawn by fellow debutant Mathis Albert), and Julian Hall extended the lead with the game already in hand. To cap off the night, Sebastian Berhalter scored from outside the box in the 90th minute, a stunning strike that put a bow on a perfect evening.

Sullivan's night was no small feat. His start made him the second-youngest player to debut as a starter for the national team since Freddy Adu in 2006, and the fourth-youngest to ever wear the US jersey, at 16 years and 362 days old. He played 62 minutes, linked up well with the forwards, and could easily have picked up an assist. Not bad for someone turning 17 this coming Monday.

"I've dreamed of this day my whole life, and it was an incredible honor to be out there representing my country. I'm trying to learn every day, keep getting better, and learn from the veterans, enjoying every moment," Sullivan said after the match. "Josh, Julian, Mathis [Albert], I know them from the youth national teams, so I'm super proud of them and happy to play alongside them."Cavan Sullivan

Pochettino, Between Pride and Goosebumps

The Argentine coach didn't hide his emotion after the final whistle. He spoke of a special energy that had been building since the first training sessions of the week, when the debutants joined the group.

"They deserve a lot of credit, every single one of them. Since Monday, when we started training, we began to notice and feel that good energy and quality that all the players coming in for the first time were showing us. I'm very proud because we competed really well."Mauricio Pochettino

On Sullivan specifically, the coach was just as generous: "Sixteen years old, playing and battling with personality, with character. I'm really happy with him. Of course he's a kid who absorbed a lot of pressure from everyone around him, but now he's surrounded by people who are going to do everything possible to protect him, help him, and support him so he keeps developing. And there's no doubt he's very smart," Pochettino said.

The rest of the debutant list included Peyton Miller, Zavier Gozo, Diego Kochen, Brooklyn Raines, Neil Pierre, Frankie Westfield and Adri Mehmeti, along with Ellis, Hall, Sullivan and Albert. Eight of the eleven are teenagers. Pochettino stressed that credit also belongs to the veterans, several of whom have recent World Cup experience, for guiding the process.

"They were very comfortable on the field, but that's credit to the more experienced players because all of them were fantastic in the way they welcomed, supported, and guided the new players over the last few days," the coach explained. He also described how, once the match was over, he saw captain Tyler Adams mixed in with the debutants, singing along with them. "That connection gives me goosebumps, because those of us on the coaching staff love seeing that, and it's going to be really important for the future."

With this result, the United States add another stop to their September and October friendly calendar, with matches still remaining against Chile, Mexico and Canada.