Talking Tactics: Cavan Sullivan is thriving in the chaos - how Mauricio Pochettino can get the best out of the USMNT's teenage talent

With any youth prospect, fans, coaches, the social media crowd inevitably look for some kind of "player comp." Consumers of this sport tend to need a reference point, something that goes beyond an EAFC rating or the brief clips that might crop up here and there. In Sullivan, we have Phil Foden, re-imagined, slightly adjusted, and far more chaotic.

And that's a good thing.

In the relatively sheltered environment of MLS - one with fewer eyes and, frankly, a lower intensity than international play - Sullivan is relatively positionally rigid. Philadelphia Union head coach Ryan Richter, who has worked with Sullivan in various capacities since his earliest youth days, has instructed the 17-year-old to function, loosely, as a modern sort of inverted winger. Sullivan is left-footed, and cuts in off the right side, where he can make plays off the dribble at high speed. As such, 17 of his 22 appearances in all competitions that season have come from the right.

And the results look good. Sullivan has seven goals and 12 assists to his name in MLS. His expected goals and expected assists both rank in the 94th percentile or higher. His shooting is relatively efficient - which runs in accordance with the expectations of the modern game. Of his 50 shots in MLS, 40 have come with his left foot. 22 have been on target. They skew, mostly, from the upper right side of the 18-yard-box. Yet all seven of his goals have come from inside the box, from close range. Indeed, both the numbers and the eye test suggest that he is at his absolute best when receiving the ball close to goal and finding tidy pockets of space. Sure, there's room for personal expression, but Sullivan is basically fulfilling a very specific role - and doing so with aplomb.

That runs in stark contrast to the way he was used by former coach Bradley Carnell. The manager, who was let go before the World Cup after overseeing a disappointing start to the season, used Sullivan sparingly, and, crucially, did not hand him a single start at his preferred position. In those four starts under his previous manager, Sullivan did not register a goal or assist. Basically, there's a formula here: stick Sullivan on the right side, and magic tends to happen.

Pochettino's Sullivan thesis has been a little less rigid.

This is, of course, down to fundamental tactical principles. Richter likes control. Pochettino is more of a fan of chaos. His USMNT crowd spaces in midfield, tightens the center of the pitch, and breaks quickly once they win the ball. The result of adopting such a vertical attacking style is that players must be willing to take risks with their off-ball movement to gain possession.

Sullivan's goal is a good example. The 17-year-old, according to the teamsheet, is supposed to be playing right wing. Yet he chases the ball down through the center of the pitch, capitalizes on a Mexico mistake almost square on with the middle of the goal, and fires the ball straight in.

And there's more. In the build-up to the goal, Sullivan subtly shades Mexico goalkeeper Raul Rangel towards the center of the pitch, cutting off the easiest passing lane - to the left-sided defender. With the right-sided defender covered, the keeper is forced into playing a higher-risk pass into the middle. Rangel panics, tries to play the ball to, well, no one. Sullivan jumps the passing lane, wins the ball and finishes. These are the subtle differences that high-pressure systems bring about - those key moments of chaos that lead to opposing mistakes, and, in this case, a goal.

The stat sheet tells a similar story. Sullivan came away with more defensive contributions than any other attacking player on the pitch (four), and won more duels than both of the U.S.'s center midfielders (eight). More simply: in a high-intensity derby against El Tri, a right winger was among the best defensive players on the pitch.

So, the U.S. have their all-action pressing-machine-maverick footballer. Those don't grow on trees.

The other good bit here is the intangible stuff - yes, we're going to have to talk about mentality here. A criticism so often-levied at this generation of U.S. footballers is that they lack the aggression of old. Time after time, pundits and former players sound off about concepts of 'fight', 'wanting it more' and 'doing it for the badge.' A lot of that stuff is nonsense - engagement bait that works all too well.

The thing about most professional athletes is that they really like playing their sport, and while they can be criticized for many things, a 'lack of effort' is not one of them. Perhaps a more accurate characterization, or, rather, explanation for the pundits' anger, is that the vibe feels a bit off. The old generation of this U.S. team, player for player, is nowhere near as talented as this one. But they did have a scrappiness about them. It is only natural for the former players of old, then, to look at this current side, and perhaps project a little. If they had that talent, they might have been able to do even more than their historic win against Spain in the Confederations Cup.

Sullivan offers a bit of hope for that generation. He spent most of the Mexico game lunging into tackles a bit too heavily, reacting to calls a bit too angrily. These things cannot be quantified on a stat sheet, but Sullivan is an emotional footballer. At times, that has come close to boiling over. One such example is in his full U.S. debut against Peru, when the teenager left a knee in on the opposing goalkeeper's head after arriving late to a tackle. He was shown a yellow card for his challenge. A less lenient referee, perhaps not overseeing a friendly, might have handed him a red.

But this is all part of the equation. You take the good with the bad in these situations. Jude Bellingham, David Beckham, Vinicius Jr., Steven Gerrard - all wonderful soloists with near-unparalleled technical ability - had their foolish moments for club or country that have cost them on a big stage. Yet that same individualism, that same drive, took them to unique heights on a football pitch.

And that, then, is Pochettino's real task. This is a really promising generation of USMNT players. Julian Hall and Adri Memmeti - both New York Red Bulls products - seem to be on track for impressive international careers. Diego Kochen has the potential to be a fine goalkeeper. Neil Pierre could be an answer to a looming center back issue. Mathis Albert, Zavier Gozo, Justin Ellis - these guys could all end up contributing at the highest level. That is no small feat.

But Sullivan is the crown jewel of the generation. His talent is on another scale. And now, he is proving it for the national team. Yet this is a crucial juncture. In a year, Sullivan will officially be on Man City's books. Pochettino will, in theory, still be the U.S.'s manager. And he would be foolish to not continue to hand Sullivan every single opportunity available. The challenge, though, is reining him in. Right now, it's all pretty charming. Sullivan is scoring lots of goals and providing assists at a club level. He is the youngest USMNTer to find the net for his country.

Yes, he got away with a bit of a nasty challenge. Yes, he changed his Instagram profile picture to a shot of him grinning deviously at the Mexico fans. These things are harmless in friendlies in October. But going forward, this remarkable talent might just need to be controlled a little bit too.

That kind of care is the difference between good and great.