‘A Lot of Hype’—Man City Prospect Cavan Sullivan Makes More MLS History | OneFootball

The Philadelphia Union are no strangers to giving chances to young players, but they made history on Saturday night with 15-year-old Cavan Sullivan.

In a 1–0 loss to Nashville SC, the Manchester City prospect made his first MLS start for the Union, becoming the latest in a long line of academy players, including U.S. men’s national team players, Brendan and Paxton Aaronson, among others, to make such a step.

Yet, his start was special. He became the second-youngest player in MLS history to start a match at just 15 years and 280 days old, second only to record-holder Freddy Adu, who made his first start at 14 years and 344 days old.

“These experiences are good for him, and it can also calm everybody down, because there’s a lot of hype around Cavan,” head coach Bradley Carnell told reporters after the match. “Sometimes he gets muscled off the ball, which is totally normal, so he’s not quite there where it needs to be from a physical standpoint, but he’s a very talented kid...he’s right where he needs to be.”

Sullivan previously broke Adu’s record as the youngest-ever player to play a regular-season MLS game, when he came off the bench at 14 years and 293 days old last summer in a 5–1 Union win over the New England Revolution.

However, since then, he has been limited to small amounts of playing time in the second half and has had numerous opportunities with Philadelphia Union II, where he has regularly shown his progression.

The Union held strong with Sullivan on the pitch on Saturday, as the 2009-born midfielder played 61 minutes, had 22 touches, three passes into the final third, and won nine duels, in addition to completing each of his three attempted tackles.

“We tried to roll Cavan out in a little bit more of a wingback position with the ball,” added Carnell. “And I think he got one or two looks in the first half where, in a transition, we could start creating something...Cavan’s a natural counterpresser of the ball, so he’s busy.”

It brought the Philadelphia native to 157 total minutes in the season with the first team, amid a year that has also seen him score four goals and four assists in 1,134 minutes in MLS Next Pro with Union II. Meanwhile, it also serves as the next step in his development, which is expected to see him move to Manchester City after his 18th birthday on September 28, 2027.

Additionally, his debut also continued a banner summer for the Sullivan family, as Cavan’s first start came a day before his older brother and Union teammate, Quinn Sullivan, is set to battle for a Concacaf Gold Cup title with the USMNT against Mexico.

For Cavan, though, all eyes are on steady progression within the Union’s system and finding ways to improve his game, as he continues to mature physically. As for when he might see the pitch again, look no further than the Union’s U.S. Open Cup match on Wednesday against the New York Red Bulls.