'It's time now, buddy' - How Ryan Richter unleashed Cavan Sullivan and took the Philadelphia Union from last place to MLS Cup contenders

Richter was handed the job on an interim basis at the end of May as part of sweeping changes in the hierarchy. Three new assistants came in, while Jon Scheer was promoted to permanent Sporting Director.

There are some more obvious reasons, to the outsider at least, why the Union have improved so much. The usage of 17-year-old Cavan Sullivan, who has 10 goal contributions over the course of the Union's unbeaten run, has been vital. So too is the return of Kai Wagner. There is also something to be said, in general, for the idea of the "new manager bounce" that has lifted a group of players once so down.

But the real reason behind it all, Richter insists, was the gift of time. MLS took a World Cup break. For nearly a month, the Union's beleaguered side got something of a holiday. Yes, the squad remained active - Sullivan, for example, trained with the youth sides while the USMNT exited in the round of 16. But the grind of an MLS campaign had worn this squad down was removed for a while.

And that was where Richter got to work. Sure, he had the playbook, of sorts, but the ability to, at the very least, spend time with his players proved vital.

"With some of the guys in Philly, I was able to connect with in person. Guys that went home or were in Europe, I was able to connect with over the phone, hear them out a little bit. Depending on who the player was, it was a different level of detail tactically of what we wanted to do," Richter said.

Some were hyperspecific. New signing Kai Wagner, who returned from Birmingham City after a disappointing spell in League One, received some tactical instructions - as well as a talk about leadership.

"With Kai, we shared everything that I wanted to do with him with the team," Richter said.

Emerging center back Neil Pierre was told he needed to improve his tactical discipline.

"The challenge with him was, can you do this consistently at this level? Can you keep your focus at this level? If you're focused and you're reading the game earlier, you're positioning yourself, you're adjusting your starting position consistently, then for sure you can have success at this level. We know you're physically ready for that. He reads the game well, but it was 'Can he do that over a stretch of 20 games?'," Richter explained.

And then, there was Cavan Sullivan. Union fans had been clamoring for the now-17-year-old to be fully unleashed in a system that played into his best interests. He is perhaps the most talented player an MLS academy has ever produced. He just needed to be empowered, some argued.

It just so happened that Richter had been there for every stage of his development - from the earliest days of youth soccer to MLS Next Pro. For Sullivan, it was a question of motivation.

"Cavan needed a different talk. It was 'it's time now, buddy. You really get the opportunity now, not just a couple minutes here. I believe you can do this. You get your chance, but you have to f*cking take it'," Richter said.

Sullivan, in return, had a certain level of trust, too.

"I've known him since I was like eight. He coached me when I was like eight or nine, in the pre-academy. It's been amazing. We have a great relationship, and I'm really grateful for all that he's done," Sullivan told GOAL in August.

That faith has been repaid in full. Sullivan's impact for the Union is hard to understate. Since his introduction to the first team full-time - at his preferred right-wing position - he has become the most effective attacking player in MLS.

He has the same number of assists as Lionel Messi this season - in 600 fewer minutes. He has eclipsed the goal contributions record for a teenager with 21 to his name.

Even Richter didn't see this coming.

"He's different than anything I've seen over the last 10 years working in this club and first team level, academy level, second team level; he's different... but no one can predict that he was going to have even just the production overall," Richter said.

And, yes, Richter believes there is more to come.

"I'm happy for him, proud of him, but he needs to keep his head down. And he will because he has big goals and he's a driven kid. But we need to keep him going and pushing for more, keep getting better, keep impacting games more, and let's see what we can do," Richter said.

Yet it takes more than inspirational speeches, star performers, and tactical adjustments to go on this kind of run. Indeed, Richter said all of the right things. He prepared in the right way, but there was also a fair bit of execution that went into this thing.

In Richter's eyes, it's a case of big results adding up - with the manner of victory counting just as much as the win itself. Take the first game after the World Cup break. The Union scored after nine minutes. They tallied 24 shots against New York Red Bulls, and despite having just 37 percent possession, won 3-1.

That set the tone.

"The first game of the second half of the season, to start in the way that we did... we played with so much energy to win that game at home. It was kind of like 'hey, this is the start of something different'," Richter said.

And then, there were the comebacks. An earlier version of the Union might have crumbled after going 2-0 down to Atlanta after 66 minutes. Instead, they found the net three times in the last 25 minutes - including twice in stoppage time - to win 3-2. On Aug. 16, the Union trailed 2-0 at halftime against NYCFC. Three Sullivan assists later, they were 3-2 winners.

A scintillating burst against Sporting KC was even better. Philadelphia conceded three early to the worst side in the Western Conference. A quite remarkable four goals in nine second half minutes saw them overturn the deficit.

There remains a question of sustainability here. At what point does a miraculous run turn into something more permanent? Overturning deficits and offensive bursts all look good - and certainly build morale - but that's a dangerous way to play football.

And yes, Richter will have to have his team control games a bit more. They may be youthful and tastefully chaotic, but a bit of pragmatism may have to come into play. The other stark reality is that Richter's title still reads "interim head coach." For all of the good vibes, this job technically isn't permanent.

He wants that to change, though.

"I want to be the coach for the Union. That's clear. They know that, and we've had all positive talks," Richter said. "But I'm not really paying any attention to that, to be honest."

Perhaps that slight jeopardy is a good thing, though. Indeed, when Richter was the outsider looking in, plugging away on game reports, something clicked. The vibes are good, the results are there. Things tend to take care of themselves at that point.

"We do a good job, then that part will take care of itself. I'm pretty confident in that," Richter said.