Cavan Sullivan joins elite company as USMNT camp beckons | OneFootball

By José Nuñez

Cavan Sullivan will not be slowed down.

Scoring his sixth goal in as many games, the Philadelphia Union's 16-year-old phenom helped ignite an all-time classic on Saturday night: a 4-3 comeback win at Sporting Kansas City that featured four second-half goals from the visitors.

With Sullivan again leading the way, Philly have now gone 11 games unbeaten (8W-0L-3D) since returning to play following the 2026 FIFA World Cup pause.

Esteemed company

Breaking records is becoming a habit for Sullivan, whose 1g/1a performance at Sporting KC gives him an incredible 19 goal contributions in MLS regular-season play (7g/12a).

With his helper on Bruno Damiani's goal, Sullivan set the record for the most assists by a teenager in a single MLS season with 12.

He also joined Vancouver Whitecaps FC homegrown product and Bayern Munich superstar Alphonso Davies for the second-most goal contributions by a teenager in MLS regular-season history with 19 (2018 season).

With plenty of the season still to play, Sullivan has his sights set on the summit. Diego Fagúndez’s 20 goal contributions, from the midfielder's 2013 season with the New England Revolution, are now firmly within reach.

USMNT on his mind

Sullivan's latest key performance came shortly after he received his first-ever US men's national team call-up.

He will soon join Union homegrown teammates Neil Pierre and Frankie Westfield for matches against Peru, Chile, Mexico and Canada during the expanded September/October window.

It's a strong vote of confidence from USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino, who kicks off the new cycle with 12 call-ups from MLS.  

"It's definitely exciting to finally get the invite. I don't think it was necessarily expected. In all honesty, I never really like to think about what may come," Sullivan shared with reporters earlier in the week. 

"It's something every kid works towards and dreams of, but to finally get it… truly it made my year, in all honesty."

Instant classic

This was no easy win for one of the league’s hottest teams. Philadelphia allowed three unanswered goals in the game's first 16 minutes and struggled to contain Sporting KC club-record signing André Luiz (two goals).

But it quickly became a tale of two halves, as the Union scored three unanswered goals starting with Damian's 64th-minute finish, before Sullivan and Milan Iloski followed suit.

The winner came via an own goal from Zorhan Bassong in the 73rd minute, capping a night to remember for the Union.

HIGHLIGHTS: Sporting Kansas City vs. Philadelphia Union | September 19, 2026