US opens 2030 World Cup cycle with 4-1 win over Peru as 11 players debut
September 27, 2026 at 12:28 AM · Updated 19d ago
Coverage
9 reports · over 20 hours
Cavan Sullivan: The 16-year-old US debutant primed for the Premier League
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In playful moments, the USMNT’s new youth movement is already paying off
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Pochettino 'so proud' as 8 teens debut in USMNT rout of Peru
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USA 4-1 Peru (Sep 26, 2026) Game Analysis - ESPN
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USMNT player ratings: Ellis gets 9, Berhalter 10 in Peru rout
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USA thrash Peru as teenage newcomers shine in first step toward 2030
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Sullivan, 16, starts for USMNT; youngest to earn cap since Adu in '06
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🔴 Live updates: Sullivan among four earning first caps as USMNT faces Peru
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USMNT v Peru: How to watch, TV channels & live stream
(opens the publisher’s site)The United States beat Peru 4-1 in Orlando in its first match of the 2030 World Cup cycle, with 11 debutants, eight of them teenagers, in the lineup.
- The United States beat Peru 4-1 at Orlando's Inter&Co Stadium, with 11 players earning their first caps, the most for the team since 2024.
- Justin Ellis and Julian Hall scored their first international goals, the first two USMNT teenagers to score in the same match since 2018.
- Sixteen-year-old Cavan Sullivan started, becoming the youngest player to feature for the US national team in more than two decades.
- Head coach Mauricio Pochettino omitted Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Folarin Balogun from the roster for the new cycle.
- Malik Tillman and Sebastian Berhalter also scored after halftime for the United States.
- Peru's goal came after defensive errors by George Campbell and Auston Trusty.
- Sullivan, at 16 years and 362 days, became the fourth-youngest American to earn a cap for the national team.
- Sullivan's contract includes a clause permitting a move to Manchester City when he turns 18 in 2027.
- Pochettino said he was 'so proud' of the young squad and that the team's connection gave him goosebumps.
- Pochettino described the squad's fresh energy as 'contagious' and credited senior players such as Tyler Adams for their supportive role.