Who is Cavan Sullivan? The 14-year-old Philadelphia Union breaks Freddy Adu’s MLS age record

History was made in Chester, Pennsylvania as a 14-year-old Cavan Sullivan became the youngest player to ever play in a Major League Soccer match at 14 years and 293 days old. Sullivan broke a 20-year-old record held by Freddy Adu, who accomplished the feat for DC United on April 3, 2004 against the Earthquakes in San Jose at 14 years and 306 days old.

It was a poetic moment when he came in in the 84th minute after his older brother Quinn Sullivan scored a beautiful goal from outside the box. Sullivan cheered at Subaru Park, breaking Adu’s record by 13 days to help the Union close out their match against the New England Revolution.

Here’s what you need to know:

Who is Cavan Sullivan?

Cavan signed one record-breaking homegrown player deal where he will earn more than $500,000 per season. After signing that deal, Sullivan played for the Union’s MLS Next Pro team, where he performed well. Sullivan is also expected to join Manchester city when he turns 18.

Following in his older brother’s footsteps, Sullivan is quickly making a name for himself while also playing in midfield. That homegrown deal paved the way for Sullivan’s debut, but it was tricky because the Union also had to manage child labor laws to ensure his debut happened at the right time. When the Union was confronted Toronto F.C Over the weekend, Sullivan was unable to play due to Canadian laws paving the way for his debut at home to Chester.

Youngest players to appear in an MLS game
1. Cavan Sullivan (Philadelphia Union in 2024) – 14 years, 293 days old
2. Freddy Adu (DC United in 2004) – 14 years, 306 days
3. Julian Hall (New York Red Bulls in 2023) – 15 years, 190 days
4. Alfonso Davies (Vancouver Whitecaps FC in 2016) – 15 years, 257 days
5. Axel Kei (Real salt lake in 2023) – 15 years, 288 days
6. Matai Akinmboni (DC United in 2022) – 15 years, 328 days
7. Obed Vargas (Seattle sirens FC in 2021) – 15 years, 351 days
T-8. Erik Duenas (LAFC in 2020) – 15 years, 362 days
T-8. Steven Jimenez (FC Cincinnati in 2023) – 15 years, 362 days
10. Nimphasha Berchimas (Charlotte F.C in 2024) – 16 years, 2 days

What is a homegrown deal?

A homegrown player is similar to an academy deal England. Each MLS team has areas where they are allowed to scout and sign players after completing 12 consecutive months with the team’s academy. That period must run between the time a player turns 14 and he or she turns 18. By doing that, the players receive a homegown tag upon signing, which prevents them from counting against the salary cap for a certain period of time and allows teams to keep more money if they do. transferred to another team. The rules are designed to promote local development between teams.

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

What’s next for Sullivan?

While Sullivan’s debut is quite the 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 recently on CBS Sports Golazo’s Morning Footy.

“Sometimes you have all the talent in the world and it’s not enough. You have to do your very best to maximize that talent and guys who aren’t as talented as you, if they work their butts off, they’re going to surpass you, said Adu. “And that’s what happened in my case. There were some guys who obviously weren’t as talented, but they tried their best and had more success.”

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

With Sullivan unable to join Manchester City until the age of 18, much of his formative years will be spent at the Union. Sullivan has the potential to become one of American soccer’s greatest talents, but it is a talent that must be nurtured and protected.