Tag: Philadelphia Union

Teenager Cavan Sullivan makes historic MLS debut, is congratulated by Freddy Adu

Cavan Sullivan is the youngest player in MLS history.

Cavan Sullivan became the youngest player in MLS history, entering in the 85th minute of the Philadelphia Union‘s 5-1 win over DC United on Wednesday night. The American midfielder is being hailed as the next big thing in MLS and the national team.

At 14-years old, Sullivan eclipses the record previously set by Freddy Adu for the youngest debut in MLS history. Adu set the record in 2004, making his much-heralded debut at 14 years and 307 days old.

Sullivan turns 15 years old in September.

The debut came with the game well in hand for the Union. Sullivan is a member of the United States U-15 national team and is considered one of the top players in the world in his age group.

Becoming the youngest player in league history is something Sullivan says he didn’t necessarily aim for.

“Obviously it’s pretty cool to have. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to reach for it,” Sullivan told reporters after the game.

“It’s about where you finish. If I didn’t make it today or if I didn’t make it Saturday and I was the second youngest or the third youngest…As long as I make my debut and start my career here – it doesn’t matter to me.”

Sullivan said the buzz from the fans every time he was on the ball stood out to him.

Following the debut of Sullivan, the now-retired Adu posted on social media a congratulatory message for the Union debutant.

 

“It was pretty cool to have some words from someone like him. He really paved the way for young guys like me,” Sullivan said of Adu’s post.

“I only have respect for him because he held the record for how many years – it was pretty awesome to hear from him.”

Adu would play 17 times for the United States national team. His club career saw him play for DC United and Real Salt Lake (as well as three seasons with the Union) in MLS along with European stops that included the likes of Benfica and Monaco.

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Freddy Adu congratulates Cavan Sullivan for breaking his MLS record

The Union phenom broke a record that had stood for 20 years

Freddy Adu has congratulated Philadelphia Union midfielder Cavan Sullivan for breaking his record as the youngest player in MLS history.

Sullivan entered Wednesday’s game against the New England Revolution late in the second half, setting the new record at age 14 years and 293 days.

Adu was 13 days older than Sullivan when he set the record in 2004, making his debut as a much-hyped prospect for D.C. United.

Just minutes after Sullivan took the field at Subaru Park in the Union’s 5-1 win, Adu posted a message on X.

“Big congrats to Cavan Sullivan for his record-breaking debut today,” Adu said. “That’s a hard record to break and the kid did it. Well done and good luck my man.”

In the post-game press conference on Wednesday, Sullivan said he had already seen the message from the former U.S. men’s national team forward.

“I already re-posted it on my Instagram,” Sullivan said. “It was pretty cool to have some words from someone like him. He really paved the way for young guys like me. I only have respect for him.”

In May, Sullivan signed the most lucrative Homegrown Player deal MLS has ever seen. The deal includes a clause that will see him join Manchester City in 2028 when he turns 18.

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Cavan Sullivan becomes youngest MLS player ever, breaking record set by Freddy Adu

Arguably the top young prospect in American soccer is now an MLS record holder

Cavan Sullivan may have just started his pro soccer career, but he’s already made history.

The Philadelphia Union midfielder, aged 14 years and 293 days, became the youngest player in MLS history on Wednesday.

When Sullivan entered as a substitute for Tai Baribo in the 85th minute of the Union’s 5-1 rout of the New England Revolution, he surpassed Freddy Adu, who was a mere 13 days older than Sullivan when he debuted for D.C. United in 2004.

On Tuesday, Union coach Jim Curtin announced that Sullivan would be named to Philadelphia’s gameday squad of 20 on merit.

“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.

“We are missing a few guys, obviously that goes his way when you have [Jack] McGlynn and [Nathan] Harriel away as well [with the U.S. Olympic team], 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.”

Sullivan, whose older brother Quinn scored a brilliant goal seconds before his sibling made his league debut, has been biding his time on the club’s MLS Next Pro side, where he has scored in two straight games.

In May, the Philadelphia native signed the most lucrative Homegrown Player deal MLS has ever seen. The deal includes a clause that will see him join Manchester City in 2028, when he’ll be a grizzled veteran at 18 years old.

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Sullivan, 14, nears history after making Philadelphia Union matchday squad

The midfielder will break Freddy Adu’s record for youngest player in MLS history if he enters the match

Cavan Sullivan will be part of the Philadelphia Union’s matchday squad for Wednesday’s game against the New England Revolution, head coach Jim Curtin has confirmed.

It will be the first time Sullivan has made the first team’s matchday roster, and it could be a history-making night at Subaru Park.

If he appears in the game, Sullivan, who will be 14 years and 293 days old, will break Freddy Adu’s record by 13 days as the youngest player in MLS history.

At his pre-match press conference on Tuesday, Curtin said that the midfielder has earned his chance to make history.

“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.

“We are missing a few guys, obviously that goes his way when you have [Jack] McGlynn and [Nathan] Harriel away as well [with the U.S. Olympic team], 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.”

Sullivan signed the richest Homegrown Player contract in MLS history back in May, which included a clause that will see him join Manchester City when he turns 18.

Since then, Sullivan has been featuring with Philadelphia Union II in MLS NEXT Pro, and has scored in each of his last two matches.

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Watch: American soccer’s 14-year old phenom, Cavan Sullivan, scores first professional goal

United States national team and Philadelphia Union midfielder Cavan Sullivan scores his first professional goal.

The future of United States soccer registered his first professional goal over the weekend. Cavan Sullivan, a 14-year-old midfielder who is with the Philadelphia Union, broke onto the scorer’s sheet with a nice individual effort.

Sullivan’s goal came for the Philadelphia Union II, who play in MLS Next Pro. He has reportedly signed with Manchester City in the English Premier League.

As can be expected from a wunderkind, Sullivan is technically proficient. Confident on the ball, he is a sharp passer and a good finisher.

In early June, he made his first start for the Philadelphia Union II, the developmental arm of the MLS club. The Union have one of the best academy system’s in North America, with Sullivan projected to be the next impact player to come up through the system.

He signed with the Union on May 9. He is also a member of the United States U15 National Team.

Check out the goal from Sullivan, a well-taken effort with some individual class:

 

Sullivan now has a goal and an assist on the season.

 

 

Andre Blake a doubt for Jamaica at Copa America after knee surgery

A key player for the Reggae Boyz may end up watching Copa América from afar

Jamaica will likely have to play this summer’s Copa América without captain Andre Blake.

The Philadelphia Union announced Wednesday that the goalkeeper will miss the next four-to-six weeks after surgery to repair a small meniscus tear.

“It was a minor surgery where there were a couple of little loose flaps in there and they cleaned up his meniscus, which had a little minor, minor tear,” said Union head coach Jim Curtin.

Blake’s recovery timeline will make it very difficult for the goalkeeper to join up with the Reggae Boyz at the 2024 Copa América, which starts in just over three weeks.

A four-week recovery for the 33-year-old would prevent him from playing any part in Jamaica’s group-stage opener against Mexico on June 22. If his return-to-play process carries into the long end of his recovery timeline, Blake wouldn’t be able to play unless Jamaica went to at least the semifinals (July 9-10).

However, in quotes published by the Philadelphia Inquirer, Curtin said that he couldn’t make any declarations about Blake’s status for the tournament.

“It’ll be touch-and-go for him [at Copa América],” said Curtin. “He’s not formally out — it’ll be a week-by-week thing. I’m not here to rule Andre out of anything. Four-to-six [weeks] is just a guideline.”

Even if Blake were to return quickly, there will be questions about just how sharp he can be. The veteran has not appeared for the Union since April 30, and Blake has appeared in just eight of Philadelphia’s 19 games during the 2024 season.

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Please enjoy 5 minutes of an MLS grounds crew trying to get a raccoon off the field

This raccoon had some moves on the pitch!

Most of the time, when the field of play is invaded at a sporting event, it’s quite annoying. Most of the time.

The exception is when the invader happens to have paws.

Which brings us to Subaru Park in Philadelphia where the Union were hosting NYCFC in some midweek MLS action on Wednesday night. Barely 20 minutes into the action, play was halted thanks to a raccoon that somehow made its way into the stadium, got down to field level and made itself at home on the pitch.

It took nearly five minutes before the grounds crew could safely capture the critter and the video is all the zen you need today.

Shoutout to the broadcast crew for giving us their best Kevin Harlan impression. NYCFC won the game 2-1 after the interruption and it’s not hard to see why. The home fans just couldn’t get back into the game after the raccoon was taken away.

But fear not! Our hero has been released back into the wild to hopefully teach all of his friends about the beautiful game.

The thrilling call of a raccoon invading an MLS game might be the most epic of 2024

“THIS IS MARVELOUS ENTERTAINMENT! COME ON RACCOON!”

The Philadelphia Union and New York FC were some 20minutes into their game in the City of Brotherly Love, when a pitch invader halted play.

It wasn’t a human! It was a raccoon! And what’s more, it took nearly two minutes to capture the critter.

The best part of all this is the announcer calling the game on Apple TV was Callum Williams, and his epic call with Calen Carr was just the best, as he called it “marvelous entertainment” and rooted on the raccoon to keep going. It reminded us of when Kevin Harlan does play-by-play of field invaders.

Check this call out!

Raccoon on the field! Critter joins Philadelphia Union vs. NYCFC match

Folks, this is not a drill, we have a raccoon on the field

The Philadelphia Union and New York City FC were honored by the presence of a raccoon who made the bold but indisputably correct choice to join the Wednesday night MLS clash.

The racoon strolled out around the 21st minute, setting up shop in the NYCFC penalty area as play carried on at the other end of the Subaru Park pitch.

Pro Soccer Wire cannot confirm whether NYCFC is interested in signing the raccoon as a goalkeeper, defender, or at some other position.

Expertly reading that the game was going on at the other end with an NYCFC throw-in, the raccoon jogged up to join the teams and presumably try to engage in soccer.

Sadly, the staff at Subaru Park preferred for the game to remain an 11-on-11 affair, and two people emerged from the touchline carrying empty gray trash cans.

Raccoons, of course, have a hot-and-cold relationship with trash cans: when full, they contain what any procyon lotor will tell you is an array of delightful and interesting food.

When empty, however, the trash can is a trap, and raccoons everywhere will surely take note of how things went down. Multiple staffers with multiple trash cans emerged, and though the raccoon put in some great moves to avoid several attempts to slow it down, the end result was…well, the raccoon got trapped in a trash can.

NYCFC’s Mitja Ilenič could scarcely believe his good fortune as the scene played out in front of him, while Union players — one assumes out of a fear that the raccoon would be allowed to join the visitors — looked less amused.

This raccoon followed in the footsteps of other animals interrupting recent Union games. Back in March 2023, a dog graced Philadelphia and Salvadoran club Alianza with its presence during a Concacaf Champions League match.

Curiously, the Union aren’t the mid-Atlantic team associated with raccoons, an honor long held by D.C. United. However, since the club’s move from RFK Stadium — well known as a major attraction for raccoons — to Audi Field, raccoon sightings have plummeted down to zero.

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Union sign Sullivan, 14, to Homegrown contract with Man City clause

The teenager has been described as the best prospect in the world in his age group

The Philadelphia Union have announced the signing of 14-year-old midfielder Cavan Sullivan to the richest Homegrown Player contract in MLS history.

Per multiple reports, Sullivan’s contract includes a clause that will see him join Premier League champion Manchester City when he turns 18.

“Cavan is undeniably a rare and extraordinary talent. At just 14 years old his natural skill and vision are far beyond his years,” said Union sporting director Ernst Tanner. “His advanced soccer IQ, paired with his ability to read plays, advance the ball, and score, show just how high his ceiling will be.”

Sullivan will join his brother Quinn, 20, on the Union’s first team.

“I’ve been watching my home team, the Union, for as long as I remember and hoped that one day I’d get the chance to play for my city in front of my family, friends, and fans,” Sullivan said. “Being able to not only play for the Union but to be able to play with my brother is a dream come true.”

Should the U.S. youth international debut for the Union on or before July 29, he will become the youngest player ever in the top North American professional sports leagues (MLB, MLS, NBA, NFL, NHL, NWSL).

In an interview with ESPN, Sullivan confirmed the Man City clause in his deal, saying it was a major factor in his decision to begin his pro career with his hometown club.

“I also think the collaboration between the Union and the City Group was — I think that did it for me. I always watch Man City. They’re like every kid’s dream team. For them [Philadelphia and Man City] to come together and agree on something — I sat with my family and my agents and we decided that it was the best plan.”

The Athletic reported that City will pay up to $5 million for Sullivan.

Sullivan made his pro debut in March, coming on as a substitute for Philadelphia Union II in MLS Next Pro and promptly delivering a game-winning assist.

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