​Philadelphia boss Richter plays down expectations of Sullivan stardom

Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.

Philadelphia Union boss Ryan Richter has played down the burgeoning expectations surrounding United States history-maker Cavan Sullivan, encouraging the breakout star to continue working hard ahead of the MLS run-in.

During the international break, Sullivan became the youngest goalscorer in the history of the USMNT when he found the net in their 3-0 victory over Mexico.

At the age of 17 years and five days, Sullivan surpassed Mathis Albert, who found the net against Chile only four days earlier at the age of 17 years and 131 days. 

On Saturday, he will be back in MLS action as Philadelphia host Real Salt Lake, and the Union’s interim boss Richter says it is unfair to expect him to rise to stardom instantly.

“You can’t put on those kinds of expectations. I know he’ll continue to work in that way, and our job is to help him as much as we possibly can to reach those goals,” Richter said.

“He has got an amazing support system around him, a great family; his older brother is also a national team player – they keep his feet on the ground more than anyone.

“We’ve known him for a long time, so to me, he’s still the eight-year-old kid running around like crazy, pulling off something incredible on the field. That’s still the kid I see.

“He is so driven to be an amazing player one day, and he keeps his feet on the ground and stays focused on that. He understands you just don’t get to that level; it takes hard work, and nothing’s guaranteed for an athlete.”

The Union went into the international break on a 12-game unbeaten run (W10 D2), the longest regular-season streak in their history. 

They have also won their last six matches, which is the longest winning run in their MLS history, and Richter says that even with some players heading off on international duty, they have maintained their intensity in training.

Ready to have more fun in the Philly kit this weekend  https://t.co/nx1XggC7oA

— Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) October 8, 2026

“Credit to the guys that were here – we didn’t drop the focus or the intensity at all. That was pretty cool,” Richter told reporters.

“Not having a game at the weekend, you don’t have an end goal at the end of the training week, but they did a great job to push the intensity and focus.

“We train every day to try to get better and keep building in the way we want to play, building in our individual things that we need to get better at.”

While Philadelphia are sixth in the Eastern Conference, Real Salt Lake are 11th in the West and four points outside the playoff picture, having endured a long winless run before beating the New England Revolution 3-0 prior to the break. 

Philadelphia Union – Milan Iloski 

Iloski scored a hat-trick in Philadelphia’s win against Orlando City SC before the international break. 

That made him the only player to score multiple hat-tricks in MLS this season, having previously netted a treble against Inter Miami.

Solans scored a brace in Real Salt Lake’s win over New England before the international break. 

That double saw him pull further clear as his team’s leading goalscorer this season, with 11. He is their only player to hit double figures (Zavier Gozo is second with six) and the only player on the team with multiple braces this year.

MATCH PREDICTION: PHILADELPHIA UNION WIN

The Philadelphia Union have only managed to defeat Real Salt Lake once in 13 regular-season matches between the sides, a 4-1 victory on May 19, 2018. 

Overall, Real Salt Lake lead the series with six wins and six draws, to just one loss. This game will be the second meeting between the two sides since 2019 (also facing off in 2024).

While the Union are in tremendous form, Real Salt Lake only snapped their 13-game winless streak in their final game before the international break, beating New England 3-0.

That was the longest single-season winless streak in the club’s MLS history, and even if they are back in the win column, Philadelphia are clear favourites on home soil.

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