Cavan Sullivan, Mathis Albert and the top five most exciting USMNT prospects

Yes, five seems a little low, particularly after he reportedly matched Pele, of all people, by scoring in his first three international games. 

Consider it more of a compliment, then, to the others on the list, because Hall has the potential to be very good. 

The teenage striker continues to blossom in MLS and, before long, he’ll likely be playing his trade in Europe, too. That’s when the real tests will begin. He has a nose for goal, sure, but will he be athletic enough to really make a difference at the highest of levels? And, in an international game that is more reliant on athleticism than the club level, will he ever be able to beat out this past World Cup’s breakout star, Folarin Balogun? 

If the answer to those questions is “yes”, the USMNT will have one heck of a striker. 

He may or may not have the pure upside of Hall, but he fills a big need in this USMNT player pool. 

The USMNT is crying out for a centerback in this new generation, and Pierre appears to be the one. He is obviously very, very tall at six-foot-seven, but he’s also getting much better at the actual defensive and technical side of the game. Couple that with his aerial prowess on set pieces and you get something unlike anything we’ve seen before. 

Again, the question is athleticism. There’s a reason there aren’t many guys his size at the top level. To get there, he’ll have to be way above average athletically, but early signs show he could be. 

The Sergio Busquets comparisons are a bit wild, but you see the vision. And “vision” is, in fact, the key word with Mehmeti. 

The most impressive part of his game is how he sees it: far beyond his years. He’s smart with the ball and reads the game well. This past weekend’s dance around World Cup winner Rodrigo de Paul showed he has some tricks up his sleeve, too. 

Again, the question will be on the athletisism side. While he's smooth with the ball at his feet, he still needs to prove he can cover the necessary ground to compete with the best. Pairing him with someone like Tyler Adams helps, but the best of the best can run the game with and without the ball. That's Mehmeti's next big step.

We've seen the formula before and, if you made this list at various points over the last decade, it would be right on top: rising attacker at Borussia Dortmund. The fact that Albert isn't No. 1 is a sign of the times because his potential is that high.

He showed it during the recent international break, netting his first international goal against Chile. It's easy to see things worth liking in Albert's game: the speed, the dribbling ability and, most importantly, the confidence to use both against whatever grown men are in his path. He's shown that at every level so far, but he still does need to show it more.

His Borussia Dortmund breakthrough is seemingly coming and, if not, sources tell GOAL that a number of top European clubs are waiting to pounce. Albert seems destined for the top, which would give the U.S. a dangerous winger capable of breaking games open with one run or one dribble.

He's in the Freddy Adu and Christian Pulisic tier in terms of hype and, recently, Sullivan has even been exceeding it.

Just days after seeing Albert seal the record as the USMNT's youngest-ever goalscorer, Sullivan took the crown for himself with his stunner against Mexico. The most impressive part was that, in some ways, it wasn't a surprise. Given how he's been running the show with the Philadelphia Union in MLS, Sullivan's big moment was always a matter of when, not if.

Of course, there's still more growing to do, but the amount of growth the 17-year-old attacker has shown post-World Cup has been immense. He's the most exciting prospect the U.S. has and, perhaps, has ever had, which is why he's atop a list that is more competitive than it's ever been.