The Future of US Soccer, Cavan Sullivan, Sets New Sales Record, but is Another Looming?
While the United States had a disappointing end to the World Cup, there were still some positives. A few of which weren't technically on the field for them during the 2026 World Cup, but should be with the team in 2030. Cavan Sullivan, the 16-year-old sensation from the Philadelphia Union, has taken on a bigger role over the last month. Plus, Zavier Gozo of Real Salt Lake looks on the verge of joining Crystal Palace in the Premier League.
For Sullivan, it has been a year of records. His first goal. Most minutes played professionally. Plus, now multiple sales for his top cards. All culminating with his top sale - by far- ever recorded. 2026 has seen seven of Sullivan's top 10 sales. This is after already lofty expectations for him when his original rookie cards dropped in the 2024-25 Donruss and Select products.
Not only is the new top sale more than 7x the previous top sale, but his biggest card to date finally surfaced this week and should reach six figures. The hype train on Sullivan shows no sign of slowing down.
Cavan Sullivan's Previous Top Sale
Card: 2024-25 Panini Select Pitchside Signatures Black (1/1)
Last Sale: $12,099 on August 2nd, 2025
Significance of the Card: Select is one of the premium products across the Panini brand and certainly one of the more premium options in soccer products. As a rookie in Panini products in the 2024-25 season, Sullivan was limited to Donruss (with no Kaboom), Select (with no Stained Glass), and Obsidian (with no Black Color Blast), but he did have autos. That leaves his biggest cards as the Black (1-of-1), Gold (out of 10), and Peacock (super, super short print autos out of International Hobby) autos as his "biggest" cards from the Panini era.
There were also Iridescent case hits from Obsidian, but they are a third-tier case hit compared to the Black Color Blast and White Night. Without a signature case hit from his rookie year, the autos will always carry more value for collectors. The Black 1-of-1 Field Level will also be one of his top cards, as will the Black Optic 1-of-1, but both non-autos will be behind the autographs in terms of desirability.
The one unique thing about the Panini sets is that Sullivan is in a USMNT jersey, albeit a U-17 USYNT jersey. Even now, Sullivan has never made his senior National Team debut and has made it as high as U-19, which is still impressive for the 16-year-old. If Sullivan continues on the path of progression he's on, and if he goes on to star in Europe and for the USMNT, his early cards in a USA jersey will likely carry more weight with collectors than Philadelphia Union cards.
Cavan Sullivan's New Top Sale
Card: 2025 Topps Chrome MLS Cavan Sullivan Rookie Arrival Gold 1/1 Patch Auto with "Debutant at 14 years + 293 Days" Inscription in a PSA 6.
Sale: $90,158 on July 26th, 2026
Significance of the Card: There were a lot of Cavan Sullivan autographs in the 2025 MLS product. His autograph wasn't held back at all across Topps Chrome, Topps Chrome Mania, or Inception. He also had six on-card autograph subsets in Topps Chrome, three in the Renaissance set, one in the 30th Anniversary set, and one in the Rookie Arrivals set, and the biggest of all was the Debut Patch Auto. He was even one of a handful of players with base autos in Topps Chrome.
Cavan Sullivan's Next Big Sale?
The next top sale is a card that isn't even for sale yet - his 2025 Topps Chrome MLS Rookie Debut Patch Auto. The card was hit in the UK, but finally surfaced after redemption this week. Given the rise in Sullivan sales, it would not be a surprise if this card hit six figures if it ever went to market.
So far, for most players, their Debut Patch Auto is the highest sale most will see. It's interesting, with all of the high-end cards that Sullivan has had so far, how much higher the Debut Patch could go. It won't reach the heights of Paul Skenes or Cooper Flagg (or even Nick Kurtz), but the rest of the top 6 debut patch sales are above. It will likely go higher than Gabriel Bortoleto's F1 Debut Patch, but will it surpass James Wood? Maybe!
One thing is certain: It will be by far the biggest MLS Debut Patch sale ever.
Will The Talent Match the Hype?
The hype is considerable, especially after not having the stink of the World Cup crashout on him. Our friends over at Sunday League Investors ranked Sullivan as the most searched-for player at The National, and it's understandable - he is the future face of U.S. Soccer at a time when the current face (Christian Pulisic) is faltering.
We'll have to see how much higher Sullivan's market can go, but one thing is certain: the market is buying the hype.
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Brendan has worked for various platforms, including The Washington Post, SB Nation, NBC Sports Washington, and more, covering everything from college basketball to fantasy football and betting. An avid collector as a kid, he got back into collecting in 2021 and is a dedicated soccer, football, and basketball collector.
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