Cavan Sullivan had his coming out party; Bradley Carnell cut it short | Thursday round-up

Cavan Sullivan, the 16-year-old attacking prodigy from the Philadelphia Union academy, was dealing in the 2nd leg of the Union's CCC tie at Club América. The score of the game was 1-1, and the aggregate score of the tie overall was 2-1 to the hosts.

But Philly were knocking, man. The same Philly who can't buy a goal in league play came out of halftime with their hair on fire, and Sullivan was a big reason why. He'd created Philly's best open-play chance of the first half, and then, after the Union had equalized from the spot early in the second – leaving them one goal away from improbable advancement – he got to the endline, beat a defender, pulled it back across the box and put it on a platter for Nathan Harriel. The wunderkind had grown up and conjured his team an aggregate lead.

Or not. Harriel smashed his shot just over the bar. It's a cruel game, and sometimes ball go in. Sometimes no.

But what's important is that the Union were battering las Aguilas. They'd tilted the field, chances were starting to come in bunches, and the upset sure felt like it was brewing. And for the first time in his MLS career, Sullivan didn't like look a talented boy among men, on the fringes of proceedings. Instead, on the biggest stage the region has to offer against the biggest team the region's ever had, he was at the heart of it. The kid had, for at least one game, become an attacking force.

Then, in the 63rd minute – still needing that goal! – head coach Bradley Carnell subbed him out for a d-mid. And Philly's hopes went with him, as the hosts immediately settled in and regained control of the game. The Union went back to long balls, set pieces and crosses; went back to comfortably defending the same.

Philly never managed to drag the game into the Tactics Free zone and created just four more chances all night. Carnell had effectively ended the tie with that substitution.

He, in his second year in charge in Philly, is off to a miserable start. St. Louis fans are reading this and smiling knowingly.

Remember a few weeks back when I said to savor the high points when the happen in the Concacaf Champions Cup? Nights like Wednesday – a self-inflicted early capitulation because of a senseless sub; a 4-0 lesson in the mountains of Toluca – are why.

But still, we got to see a David Martínez miracle on Tuesday (officially the best night in Venezuelan sports history), along with a pair of all-MLS bangers on Wednesday. Nashville hilariously got past an Inter Miami team that has yet to crack the code on midfield ball progression and, thus, final third penetration, while the Sounders took an early haymaker from Vancouver, kept their legs and proceeded to put the series away.

FC Cincinnati and the Galaxy go on the road tonight to see if they can protect their first-leg leads. Since I managed to reverse-jinx Cincy last week, I'll just go ahead and say that the 4-0 they'll take tonight is gonna sting.

Good Reads:

• Julian Hall is posting star-level numbers for Red Bull New York, and he’s only 17 from Backheeled
• A good look at how Tata Martino deployed Tristan Muyumba to finally unlock Atlanta's DPs from Scarves & Spikes
• There were early hints, this past weekend, that Diego Luna & Morgan Guilavogui have chemistry, via Wasatch Soccer Sentinel
• Head coach Cameron Knowles admitted Minnesota's in between tactical approaches right now, via the Pioneer Press

My Wednesday column was a look at the transfer needs of all 30 MLS teams. The window closes a week from the day (it's the last weirdly timed window in MLS history, I hope), so it feels pretty pertinent!

Did my usual Monday recap of the MLS weekend on Soccerwise, and my usual Tuesday pod with Tab on Inside American Soccer, where we looked at the USMNT roster for the March friendlies.

I also recorded a USMNT-specific Soccerwise with Gass on Wednesday that'll be released either later today or early tomorrow.

My take on the roster: It's just about exactly what I'd expected, given the injuries and absences. And that includes the presence of Gio Reyna, which was, frankly, never in doubt.

"Before the last decision for the last roster for the World Cup, I think it's good to see players that maybe are not playing too much, like in that case of Gio," Pochettino said to press when asked to explain Reyna's inclusion, given the kid hasn't played at the club level since January. "But that is a very talented player, and we know how he can add to the national team.

"And he is capable to perform with us. Again, I think we really know that he's a very special talent and very special player. And I think to give the possibility, even if it's not playing too much in his club, it can be very useful for us."

If Gio can walk, he'll be on the 26-man roster. Everyone should get used to that idea now.