Cavan Sullivan: The 14-year-old prodigy who has to save U.S. soccer

The future might be now for 14-year-old Cavan Sullivan. The teenager made history by checking into an MLS game for the Philadelphia Union on July 17, and may be involved in some lofty conversations moving forward about his place in the sport. We’ll take a look at Sullivan’s unique distinction, and how it could shape his future with U.S. soccer.

Cavan Sullivan was summoned on to the pitch late in the second half of a blowout win for Philadelphia against the New England Revolution. Although it was a way to dip his toe into the professional waters, Sullivan logged a shot on goal from just outside the penalty area in stoppage time.

Sullivan starts his MLs journey in the presence of family. Cavan’s brother, Quinn, also plays for the Union. Quinn Sullivan came into the game as a substitute as well, and scored a goal in the rout.

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Cavan Sullivan told ESPN, “I’ve always wanted to start my career here because this is my home and I’ve always been on the sidelines of Quinn’s games and I’ve been in and around the facility when my uncle worked here.”

According to ESPN, the youngest known player to make their debut in the five largest soccer leagues (Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, Ligue 1) in the world is Ethan Nwaneri. He broke on to the pitch for Arsenal in 2022 at 15 years old.

Cavan Sullivan breaks the record once held by Freddy Adu, who made his MLS debut for D.C. United in 2004 at 14 years, 306 days old. Sullivan is 14 years, 293 days old, just edging him out.

Adu wrote on social media, “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.”

As Adu can attest, the distinction is pretty neat, but also comes with heaps of attention and expectations. Bleacher Report wrote in 2014 that Adu was supposed to be “America’s Pele”, while Urban Pitch wrote about the way in which Adu was setup to fail.

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It’ll be interesting to see what the narrative around Cavan Sullivan develops into as he presumably gets more playing time with Philadelphia throughout the rest of the MLS season. He’s already been tabbed as a potential Premier League prospect.

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As noted by CNN and ESPN, Sullivan has a release clause in his Philadelphia Union contract that will allow him to transfer to Manchester City once he turns 18 years old. If Sullivan continues to develop and turn heads, he may not be long for the MLS.

“It’s exponentially different from what it was 20 years ago,” said MLS vice president of player relations Alecko Eskandarian, who spoke to Yahoo Sports about the differences between the MLS now and when Adu was breaking in. Eskandarian actually was the player who came off the field when Adu checked into his first MLS match.

United States soccer is coming off a disappointing performance in the Copa America, and the program is searching for some stability. Yahoo Sports calls Sullivan a precocious talent and an audacious attacking midfielder. He may develop into the type of game-breaker that the Americans have long searched for.

Most soccer fans know that the World Cup will be hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada in 2026, which will motivate the United States to have their act together before the tournament. It’ll be fascinating to see if Sullivan can rise to the national team ranks and earns caps before that point in time.

According to the New York Times, Sullivan led the United States under-15 national team to the 2023 CONCACAF championship. He also received the Golden Ball, recognized as the premier player of the tournament.

In May, former U.S. soccer star and current analyst Alexi Lalas took to social media to talk about Sullivan’s rise. “Cavan Sullivan has enjoyed unprecedented advantages/opportunities designed precisely to develop better American soccer players from a younger age. We can’t promote making better players and then not expect more from them.”

Soccer America’s website writes “In American soccer terms, he’s considered to be the next Christian Pulisic or next Gio Reyna.”

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