Quinn Sullivan entered his second-consecutive start at the Concacaf U-20 Championship seeking his first goal of the competition and after an impressive first-half performance, the Philadelphia Union forward walked away with three tallies and the match ball in Honduras.
Sullivan netted a hat trick in the U.S. Under-20 men’s national team’s 3-0 group stage finale victory over Cuba at the Estadio Nacional Chelato Ucles. The 18-year-old forward earned SBI’s Man of the Match honors for his trio of finishes against Cuba, delivering his best performance to date under Mikey Varas.
Sullivan needed only two minutes to kick off his strong evening, getting on the end of Caden Clark’s cross to deliver the opening goal. The in-form forward was it again in the eighth minute, rifling a shot into the top corner of Ismel Morgado’s net.
Paxten Aaronson and Sullivan connected on the forward’s final goal of the night, with Sullivan racing onto an over-the-top ball in Cuba’s side of the field. Sullivan showed great composure in a one-on-one situation, chipping past Morgado for his third goal of the first half.
Sullivan’s clever running and clinical abilities were on display for Varas and his coaching staff to applaud as the Americans claimed top spot in Group E with Wednesday’s shutout victory. The Pennsylvania native was replaced at halftime with Varas keeping one eye on Saturday’s Round of 16 showdown against Nicaragua.
“Same mentality as we’ve had,” said Sullivan post match. “We’ve got to end teams early, try and get off on the right foot like we did tonight. Nicaragua’s the next stage, so it’s a must-win. Every game’s a must-win to this point, with the goal to lift the trophy and qualify for both the World Cup and the Olympics. It’s vital.”
What did you think of Sullivan’s performance? Who else impressed you in Wednesday’s win?
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Kid is talented one of the best players on the field against Argentinas u 20’s a couple months ago. Be interesting to watch his progression along with Aaronsons with Philly.