Philadelphia Union midfielder Cavan Sullivan has made history as the youngest player ever to appear in Major League Soccer (MLS).
The 14-year-old set the record when he came on as an 85th-minute substitute in Philadelphia Union’s 5-1 victory over New England Revolution at Subaru Park in Pennsylvania.
At just 14 years and 293 days old, Sullivan broke the previous record set by Freddy Adu, who was 14 years and 306 days old when he played for DC United in 2004. This milestone also makes Sullivan the youngest North American athlete to compete in the top tier of a professional team sport.
During the match, Sullivan’s older brother, Quinn, scored one of the Union’s goals. Reflecting on the moment, Cavan said, “It was absolute chaos. Awesome goal from him, great finish. The combo of his goal and me coming in as a sub was complete anarchy. Honestly, it was one of the loudest things I have ever heard. The stadium was electric.”
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Sullivan, who is set to join Manchester City when he turns 18, remains focused on his future. “This is just the start. I am really happy to have done this but it is honestly the first box checked off. I know it is all about where you finish, not where you start,” he stated.
Freddy Adu, now 35, congratulated Sullivan on his record-breaking debut, saying, “Big congrats to Cavan Sullivan for his record-breaking debut today. That’s a hard record to break and the kid did it. Well done and good luck, my man.”
Sullivan signed with Philadelphia Union in May, marking the largest homegrown player deal in MLS history. Discussing his decision, Sullivan told ESPN, “The collaboration between the Union and the City Group was – that did it for me. I always watch Man City. They’re like every kid’s dream team. For [Philadelphia and Man City] to come together and agree on something – I sat with my family and my agents and we decided that it was the best plan.”
