The United States Men’s National Team has been a growing force in recent years, with the Stars and Stripes producing more and more top talent.
The likes of Christian Pulisic, Folarin Balogun and Weston McKennie headline the current crop of stars, but the USMNT are bringing through young prospects at an incredible rate.
With that in mind, it’s unsurprising to see their record for the youngest goalscorer broken several times in recent years. In fact, it was broken twice this international break alone, as Manchester City-bound Cavan Sullivan — currently of Philadelphia Union — set the record against Mexico, aged just 17 years and five days.
Seven of the 10 youngest USMNT goalscorers have come in the last decade, so let’s take a look at the list.
10. Landon Donovan
- vs: Mexico (25/10/2000)
- Age: 18 years, 7 months, 21 days
One of the original American stars to make an impact in Europe and the poster boy for his era, Landon Donovan scored the first of his joint-record 57 international goals in a 2-0 friendly win over arch-rivals Mexico, way back in October 2000. That proved to be an incredible USMNT debut for Donovan, who later provided the assist for Josh Wolff’s clincher.
9. Julian Hall
- vs: Peru (26/09/2026)
- Age: 18 years, 6 months, 2 days
Julian Hall is the second-youngest goalscorer in MLS history behind Freddy Adu, and his impact for the New York Red Bulls is turning heads. Interest will only grow after the forward scored three goals in his first three caps, with his September strike against Peru pushing Ricardo Pepi out of the top 10.
8. Josh Sargent
- vs: Bolivia (29/05/2018)
- Age: 18 years, 3 months, 9 days
Josh Sargent was another debutant goalscorer for the USMNT, adding the second in a 3-0 friendly win over Bolivia back in May 2018. At the time, this made him the fourth-youngest goalscorer in his nation’s history, though that didn’t last long.
7. Timothy Weah
- vs: Bolivia (29/05/2018)
- Age: 18 years, 3 months, 7 days
It actually lasted just seven minutes, with Timothy Weah putting the Stars and Stripes 3-0 up against Bolivia and overtaking Sargent, with their birthdays just two days apart. This was Weah’s second cap, but he’s remained a key player for the US ever since, while Sargent has fallen in and out of favour.
6. Jozy Altidore
- vs: Mexico (06/02/2008)
- Age: 18 years, 3 months, 0 days
Nicknamed ‘Jozy Altiscore’, the former Sunderland and Hull man was the United States’ most reliable source of goals through the 2010s, ending his international career in 2019 with 42 goals in 115 caps. Only Donovan and Clint Dempsey (both 57) have scored more. The first of those goals came in his third cap to help the United States go 2-1 up in an eventual 2-2 draw with Mexico in early 2008.
5. Giovanni Reyna
- vs: Panama (16/11/2020)
- Age: 18 years, 3 days
Giovanni Reyna has been a real enigma for the United States, continuing to earn call-ups and make major tournament squads despite injuries and inconsistencies at club level. That only illustrates just how talented he is and how highly the US Federation rates him. The Sunderland-born playmaker — son of former midfielder Claudio Reyna — opened his international account on his second cap, scoring the winner in a 1-0 friendly against Panama in November 2020.
4. Juan Agudelo
- vs: South Africa (17/11/2010)
- Age: 17 years, 11 months, 25 days
Juan Agudelo was riding a wave back in 2010, breaking into a New York Red Bulls side containing Thierry Henry and Rafael Marquez and earning his senior national team debut. Agudelo scored on that debut to fire the US to a 1-0 win over South Africa, netting again vs Argentina just over a month later. He quickly faded after that, but his place in USMNT history remains.
3. Christian Pulisic
- vs: Bolivia (29/05/2016)
- Age: 17 years, 8 months, 11 days
So much has rested on the shoulders of Christian Pulisic over the past 10 years as the leader of this exciting new generation of American players. Like Weah and Sargent, he scored his first international goal in a friendly against Bolivia, doing so two years earlier and well before turning 18. At the time, this strike in a 4-0 victory made him the USMNT’s all-time youngest goalscorer, and it was a record that would last just over a decade.
2. Mathis Albert
- vs: Chile (30/09/2026)
- Age: 17 years, 4 months, 9 days
It was Mathis Albert who finally broke Pulisic’s record, with the exciting Borussia Dortmund teenager adding a late strike in the USMNT’s 4-2 win over Chile earlier in this international break. Unlike Pulisic, Albert’s record didn’t hold for very long.
1. Cavan Sullivan
- vs: Mexico (03/10/2026)
- Age: 17 years, 5 days
That brings us back to Sullivan, who, just five days after turning 17, profited from a Raul Rangel mistake to put the USMNT 2-0 up against Mexico on Saturday night. Sullivan’s profile is skyrocketing right now, and the prospect of him heading to Europe once he turns 18 is an exciting one. Regardless of how his career goes from here, this record is likely to remain untouched for a very long time.