Pochettino Thinks Cavan Sullivan Is Ready. The Singing Test Was Part of It

Part of Cavan Sullivan's first U.S. national team camp was standing up at a team dinner and singing a song in front of everyone. Mauricio Pochettino says that tells him as much as training does.

The coach made the new and young players do it one by one. He said it shows personality and character, and so does how the veterans treat them once practice starts and how they talk and move together. On Friday, asked directly about the 16-year-old, Pochettino said that on club form alone Sullivan is ready, and so are the others.

Talking only about that, I think he's ready, but the rest of the players too.

He wouldn't say whether Sullivan plays in Saturday's friendly against Peru. If he does, he'll be the youngest American to play for the national team since Freddy Adu.

It's easy to see why everyone is asking. Even with 13 World Cup players in camp, Sullivan is the story, mostly because of what he's done for the Philadelphia Union lately: six goals and eight assists in his last eight league games. Pochettino, who said earlier this month the staff had to be careful with him, called him mature on the field.

His plan against Peru is a mix of young and experienced players, decided partly on training data. Some of the young ones may not play the first or second game, he said, or even the third, and for some, just training with the group is enough for now.