Cavan Sullivan is one of the brightest prospects in U.S. soccer. At the age of 14, he has already signed the largest homegrown contract in MLS history and has a deal in place to sign for Manchester City, the Premier League’s dominant force under Pep Guardiola.
Now, he could be about to break a long-standing and respected record with his first MLS appearance.
Sullivan was named in the squad for Philadelphia Union’s match against New England Revolution on July 17, having been called up as cover for the absences of Olympics-bound Jack McGlynn and Nathan Harriel. If he sees the field at any point during the match, he will become the youngest player in the league’s history, breaking a 20-year record held by former D.C. United prodigy Freddy Adu.
Ernst Tanner, Union’s sporting director, said the player “is undeniably a rare and extraordinary talent”. Now, MLS fans might just get their first glimpse.
MORE: Everything you need to know about U.S. phenom Cavan Sullivan
Cavan Sullivan in line to break Freddy Adu MLS record
Sullivan will become the youngest player in MLS history if he takes to the field for Philadelphia Union in the July 17 game against New England Revolution.
Adu was 14 years and 307 days old when he played for D.C. United against San Jose Earthquakes on April 3, 2004.
Hoping to surpass that mark, Sullivan will be 14 years and 293 days old on Wednesday, which would see him surpass Adu’s record by two weeks. If he doesn’t take the field against the Revolution, he would only have one more chance to break the record, with the Union set to host Nashville SC on Saturday, July 20. After that, MLS play pauses for a month as the Leagues Cup begins, and those knockout tournament games wouldn’t count towards this official league record.
“Tomorrow he will be in the 20 because he’s earned it,” Union coach Jim Curtin said the day before the game. “If you look at his performances in the Union II games and the goals that he scored…
“We are missing a few guys, obviously that goes his way when you have [Jack] McGlynn and [Nathan] Harriel away as well, 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.”
Is Cavan Sullivan joining Man City?
It was confirmed in March 2024 that Sullivan had reached an agreement to join Premier League champions Manchester City. Due to international regulations, he will not be eligible to play for the English club until he turns 18 in September 2029.
There has been speculation Sullivan could move to City when he turns 16 and then spend time at another European club on loan thanks to more flexible European Union labor laws, but it seems more likely at present that he will continue his development in the U.S. until joining City outright in five years’ time.
Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain, and Real Madrid were among a host of other major European clubs said to be interested in signing the youngster.
Cavan Sullivan scores his way into the history books! 🤩
The 14-year-old nets his first professional goal and doubles @PhilaUnionII’s lead. pic.twitter.com/Op63SJukEl
— MLS NEXT Pro (@MLSNEXTPRO) July 7, 2024
What happened to Freddy Adu?
Once branded “the next Pele” due to his prodigious talent as a youngster, Adu was selected by D.C. United in the 2004 MLS SuperDraft, three months before he set new records as the youngest player and goal scorer in MLS history.
Having made his USMNT debut as a 16-year-old in 2006, Adu was tipped to become not only one of the greatest U.S. players in history, but perhaps one of the very best in the world.
However, after two years with D.C. United and a further season in the States with Real Salt Lake, Adu began something of a journeyman career with Portuguese giants Benfica, where he was unable to break into the first-team picture and spent much of his time on loan in France, Greece, and Turkey. Former USA Under-20s coach Thomas Rongen told the Guardian that he feared the move was far too early for a youngster, recalling: “I was pleading with his agent not to sign with Benfica.”
He returned to MLS with Philadelphia Union in 2011 and left for Brazilian club Bahia two years later, where he spent just a matter of months.
Short-lived spells in Serbia and Finland followed before Adu returned to the U.S. again with the Tampa Bay Rowdies and later the las Vegas Lights. His last registered club was Swedish side Osterlen.
