Quinn Sullivan and Nathan Harriel return to Union’s lineup in time for Open Cup quarterfinal

Quinn Sullivan and Nathan Harriel returned to training with the Union on Tuesday after spending June and the first week of July with the U.S. men’s national team at the Concacaf Gold Cup.

Sullivan and Harriel returned to Philadelphia on Monday afternoon, a day after the U.S. team’s 2-1 loss to Mexico in the Gold Cup final in Houston. They will return to the field for the Union on Wednesday, as the Union host the rival New York Red Bulls in a U.S. Open Cup semifinal (7 p.m., CBS Sports Network, Paramount+).

“They both arrived healthy, hungry, and safe back from their successful journey,” Union manager Bradley Carnell said. “And we have them in our group and ready in contention for the game tomorrow.”

The Gold Cup was Sullivan and Harriel’s first tournament experience with the senior national team. Before his senior team debut, Sullivan scored 10 goals across 19 appearances for the under-20 team. Harriel has appeared on four U.S. youth teams, and sat as a substitute for the senior team in a 1-0 friendly loss to Slovenia in January 2024.

“It was an amazing experience,” Sullivan said. “[It was] a dream of mine for a really long time that I’ve been working really hard for. It was special to represent the crest for the first time and be with the group.”

Sullivan and Harriel struggled to crack the starting lineup of new U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino. Sullivan appeared in both of the team’s Gold Cup warmup friendlies; he came off the bench against Turkey and was a starting midfielder against Switzerland. He then started in the U.S.’s final group stage game, a 2-1 win over Haiti, and logged three shots in 70 minutes.

“Every player wants to play,” Sullivan said. “Every player wants minutes. … The Switzerland game was not my best performance, and then I bounced back in the Haiti game with a good one. I was proud of that performance and a win for the team to go three wins straight. But the team was winning, the team was playing well, and it’s up to the coach to make those decisions.”

After playing in both of the team’s pretournament exhibitions, Harriel did not see the field during the run to the Gold Cup final. The right back was a late addition to the U.S. roster, as an injury replacement.

Even though their time on the field at the Gold Cup was limited, Sullivan and Harriel valued the experience of being with the senior national team at a major tournament.

“I’m so extremely grateful for the opportunity to be involved with that squad, be around that staff,” Harriel said. “I mean, you want to play, but at the same time, I was enjoying being there to train with the guys, talking to the coaches. Picking their brains, picking some other guys’ brains, and learning as much as possible to bring back here.”

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June and July have been busy months for the Sullivan family. The night before the U.S. faced off against Mexico with Quinn, 21, on the roster, his younger brother, Cavan Sullivan, 15, made his first start with the Union in their 1-0 loss to Nashville SC. Cavan played in three games for the Union while Quinn was with the U.S. team.

“I didn’t get to watch the Columbus game where [Cavan] got a half,” the older Sullivan said. “Obviously, we were playing in Minnesota at that time, but [I] talked to him about that performance. I’m still proud of him — [his] first start is another achievement. For the Sullivan family, it was a long month to have people away and all that. A lot of accomplishments, but also new goals to reach.”

Reinforcements could not have come at a better time for the Union, who are coming off back-to-back losses. The team will get Quinn Sullivan and Harriel back before it embarks on a crowded stretch of the schedule. Starting with the U.S. Open Cup match, the Union will play four games in 11 days.

Harriel and Sullivan said they were in good shape, even after picking up some dust sitting on Pochettino’s bench. Both are ready to go against the Red Bulls, who are longtime rivals of the Union.

“Even if you didn’t play, just training with the national team and everything, you’re still top level,” Harriel said. “Legs feel good, ready to go for [Wednesday]. Also, it’s Red Bull, so it’s not that hard to get up for it.”

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The winner will advance to face the winner of a quarterfinal between Nashville SC and D.C. United on Sept. 16. The Red Bulls will return for an MLS regular-season game against the Union on Saturday (7:30 p.m., Apple TV+).

“Ready to play another knockout game,” Quinn Sullivan said. “The experience I had at the Gold Cup should help me with the environment and the knockout stage here.”