Who is Cavan Sullivan? Philadephia Union’s 14-year-old could break Freddy Adu’s MLS age record

History could be made in Chester, Pa. on Wednesday as Philadelphia Union head coach Jim Curtin has confirmed that 14-year-old Cavan Sullivan will be included in the first team squad for the Union’s match against the New England Revolution at 7:30 p.m. ET. Sullivan has scored in two consecutive MLS Next Pro matches for Union 2 and could now be on the cusp of debuting for the senior team. 

If Sullivan does debut, he’ll become the youngest player ever to take the pitch in MLS, breaking a 20-year-old record that has been held by Freddy Adu, who accomplished the feat for D.C. United on April 3, 2004 against the San Jose Earthquakes. Adu accomplished the feat at 14 years, 306 days old while Sullivan is currently 14 years, 293 days old.

Here’s what to know:

Who is Cavan Sullivan?

The younger brother of versatile Union attacking midfielder Quinn Sullivan, Cavan signed a record-breaking homegrown player deal where he’ll earn more than $500,000 per season. After signing that deal, Sullivan has been playing for the Union’s MLS Next Pro team where he has performed well. Sullivan is also expected to join Manchester City when he turns 18.

“Tomorrow he will be in the 20 because he’s earned it, if you look at his performances in the Union II games and the goals that he scored,” Curtin said in his press conference ahead of facing the Revolution. “We are missing a few guys, obviously that goes his way … but Cavan’s earned the right to be in the 20 if you just go through the numbers and he’ll get that opportunity now.”

Following in the footsteps of his older brother, Sullivan is quickly making a name for himself while also playing in midfield. That homegrown deal helped pave the way for Sullivan to potentially debut for the first team but the Union have also had to manage child labor laws to ensure that his debut happens at the right time. When the Union faced Toronto FC over the weekend, Sullivan wasn’t able to play due to Canadian laws paving the way for his debut at home in Chester.

Youngest Players to Appear in an MLS Game
1. Freddy Adu (D.C. United in 2004) – 14 years, 306 days
2. Julian Hall (New York Red Bulls in 2023) – 15 years, 190 days
3. Alphonso Davies (Vancouver Whitecaps FC in 2016) – 15 years, 257 days
4. Axel Kei (Real Salt Lake in 2023) – 15 years, 288 days
5. Matai Akinmboni (D.C. United in 2022) – 15 years, 328 days
6. Obed Vargas (Seattle Sounders FC in 2021) – 15 years, 351 days
T-7. Erik Duenas (LAFC in 2020) – 15 years, 362 days
T-7. Stiven Jimenez (FC Cincinnati in 2023) – 15 years, 362 days
9. Nimfasha Berchimas (Charlotte FC in 2024) – 16 years, 2 days
10. Danny Leyva (Seattle Sounders FC in 2019) – 16 years, 31 days

What is a homegrown deal?

A homegrown player is similar to an academy deal in England. Each MLS team has territories that they’re allowed to scout in and sign players from after they’ve completed 12 continuous months with the team’s academy. That period must conclude between when a player turns 14 until they turn 18. By doing that, the players will get a homegown tag when signed allowing them to not count against the salary cap for a period and allowing teams to retain more money if they are transferred to another team. The rules are in place to promote local development among teams.

There are at times disputes due to overlapping territories and how much time was continuously spent with a team’s academy but those are decided by the league. 

What’s next for Sullivan?

While Sullivan’s debut would be quite a moment in his career and a record-breaking moment for the Union, this is also where the cautionary nature of Adu’s career comes into play. Adu reflected on his career on CBS Sports Golazo’s Morning Footy recently.

“Sometimes, you have all the talent in the world and it’s not enough. You’ve got to work your butt off to maximize that talent and guys who aren’t as talented as you, if they work their asses off, they’re going to surpass you,” Adu said. “And it happened in my case. There were a few guys that obviously weren’t as talented, but they put in the work and they had more success.”

With players like Sullivan and Barcelona‘s Lamine Yamal, it’s important to manage them while setting them up for success. As a team that has seen homegrown players like Mark McKenzie, Brenden Aaronson, and Paxten Aaronson make the jump to the next level, the Union are aware of this but with a player so young, it can be hard to keep pressure off of them while things are changing so quickly. 

As Sullivan can’t join Manchester City until he turns 18, much of his formative years will be spent with the Union. Sullivan has the potential to be one of the brightest talents to emerge from U.S. soccer but it’s a talent that needs to be nurtured and protected.