A 20-year record toppled Wednesday when Cavan Sullivan debuted for the Philadelphia Union at 14 years and 293 days old, becoming the youngest player to appear in a Major League Soccer match.
Sullivan broke the record previously held by former U.S. international Freddy Adu, who debuted for D.C. United in April 2004, at 14 years and 306 days old.
Sullivan entered the Union’s match against the New England Revolution in the 85th minute Wednesday, helping see out Philadelphia’s 5-1 victory. Moments earlier, Quinn Sullivan — Cavan’s older brother — scored the Union’s fifth goal. The two Sullivans combined multiple times during Cavan’s shift, with the 14-year-old midfielder registering his first MLS shot in the 93rd minute.
Cavan Sullivan has made his @MLS debut!#DOOP pic.twitter.com/pWrRlSqNxt
— Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) July 18, 2024
The younger Sullivan joined the Union on a league-record homegrown contract in May, becoming the Union’s youngest-ever first-team player and the fifth-youngest first-teamer in MLS history. English Premier League side Manchester City was also involved in the deal, and Sullivan will join that team at age 18.
He debuted in March in Major League Soccer’s developmental league, MLS Next Pro. On the international stage, Sullivan led the U.S. under-15s to a 2023 CONCACAF U-15 Championship, earning the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player.
Cavan Sullivan has entered the match in the 85’ and has officially become the youngest player to make his regular-season debut among the top North American professional sports leagues at 14 years, 293 days old.#DOOP pic.twitter.com/gNx0RqKCsW
— Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) July 18, 2024
Among the other youngest players in MLS history are Canadian international Alphonso Davies, who debuted for the Vancouver Whitecaps at 15 years and 257 days old in 2016. D.C. United defender Matai Akinmboni first appeared for that club in 2022, at 15 years and 328 days old. Obed Vargas, Erik Dueñas and Stiven Jimenez also appeared in MLS at 15 years old, though all were slightly older than Akinmboni.
Da’Vian Kimbrough became the youngest American soccer player to appear in a professional match when he debuted for the USL’s Sacramento Republic FC at 13 years, seven months and 13 days old last year. He broke the record previously held by Real Salt Lake striker Axel Kei, who debuted for their developmental side, Real Monarchs, in 2021 at 13 years, eight months and nine days old.
Free, daily sports updates direct to your inbox. Sign up
Free, daily sports updates direct to your inbox. Sign up
Buy
None of those players even remotely rose to the profile of Adu, probably the United States’ first true soccer phenom. Dubbed by some as “the next Pelé,” Adu’s star shone brightly at United, earning him an eventual transfer overseas. In Europe, Adu’s progress stalled and he eventually featured for 15 teams over a 15-year career. For years, Adu was viewed as perhaps the biggest bust in American soccer history. More recently, he’s been held up as an example of what can happen when too much pressure and expectation is placed on a young athlete.
Required reading
(Photo: Caean Couto / USA Today)
