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‘You Know What I Like’—Thierry Henry Can’t Get Enough of USMNT’s Next Superstar

Henry also plucked out a particular trait from Mauricio Pochettino during his praise of the USMNT.
Grey Whitebloom|
Thierry Henry was impressed by the USMNT’s recent window.
Thierry Henry was impressed by the USMNT’s recent window. | Ercin Erturk/Anadolu/Getty Images

Thierry Henry was full of praise for U.S. men’s national team’s young gem Cavan Sullivan, singling out the same quality which so enamored the teenager to Mauricio Pochettino.

Sullivan had an international break to savor. The Philadelphia Union forward made his senior debut, turned 17 and became the youngest scorer in the history of the program this fall. Pochettino doesn’t tend to single out individuals but made an exception to hail the grit, rather than the glitz, Sullivan had demonstrated. Henry was similarly impressed.

“You know what I like, is his demeanor, his attitude,” Henry gushed on CBS Golazo this week. “Swagger,” was another trait offered up by presenter Kate Abdo which the former Arsenal and Barcelona forward accepted.

“He plays, he goes about it, he will put his foot in,” Henry added. “He also has an eye for a pass or for a goal. But he will not back down for anyone, although he’s young.”

Sullivan’s star is on the rise. Each game seems to bring a new record for the royally in-form teen, who has directly contributed to at least one goal in each of his previous seven club appearances. Yet, Henry’s expectations haven’t been sated: “I think he can do even more.”

‘You Have to Give Pochettino Credit’

Henry also shifted the spotlight toward the manager who called up Sullivan and a hoard of other youngsters. “You have to a lot of credit to Pochettino: He allowed those guys to come,” the retired France international pointed out.

Sullivan was one of eight teenagers handed his debut during fall’s four friendlies, with six of that contingent plying their trade in Major League Soccer. Unlike some previous USMNT managers who have prioritized players with minimal European experience above any domestic action, Pochettino has wholeheartedly embraced home-based talent.

“It will be good for the MLS, because I think some of the guys coming from the MLS were not looked at so much, some times before,” Henry pointed out. “And now that’s not the case.

“Sometimes, I feel that I believe more—more, more, much more—in the talent of the players here in the USA than people that talk in the [U.S.] media,” Pochettino claimed earlier this month. “Because I think it’s so important to translate that you really trust. And then because we [have] expertise, that is why we are here, don’t worry that we are going to make the best decision.

“It’s so important that the people really trust in the process, trust in our decisions, but trust in the players and respect the players.”

Pochettino has an admirer in Henry, although his faith isn’t concrete just yet. “It looks like it can be a bright future,” the Premier League icon concluded, “but it remains to be seen if it can carry on.”

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Grey Whitebloom
GREY WHITEBLOOM

Grey Whitebloom is an Associate Editor for SI FC. He has more than half a decade of experience in sports media across all its various guises, from the fast-paced demands of news articles and match reports to in-depth research required for features. Whitebloom graduated with a First Class Honours from University College London and found himself named on the Dean’s List—which, despite his initial fears, was a form of praise rather than a punishment. He specialises in the Premier League and Champions League, while also boasting an extensive track record of La Liga coverage.

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