Cavan Sullivan
Cavan Ayaz Sullivan (born September 28, 2009) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer and the United States national team.
Article
Cavan Sullivan
Cavan Ayaz Sullivan (born September 28, 2009) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer and the United States national team.
In March 2024, Sullivan became the most expensive homegrown player in Major League Soccer history, signing with the Philadelphia Union until 2028. At age 14, he became the youngest player to debut in a league match for a major American or Canadian professional sports team. For the next two years, he alternated between the club's reserve and senior teams. In the second half of the 2026 season, at age 16, Sullivan became a regular with the senior team and became the youngest player to win an MLS Player of the Month award by over three years.
Representing the United States at various youth levels, he won the 2023 CONCACAF Under-15 Championship with the under-15 team. Sullivan made his senior national team debut at age 16 in September 2026, becoming the youngest goalscorer in national team history only one week later.
Early life
Cavan Sullivan
Cavan was born on September 28, 2009, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is of German-Bangladeshi descent through his mother.
As a youth player, Sullivan joined the youth academy of American side Philadelphia Union in 2020. He helped the club win the 2023 Generation Adidas Cup.
Club career
2024–2025: Debut and development
On March 24, 2024, Sullivan made his professional debut, coming on in the 56th-minute in an MLS Next Pro match for Philadelphia Union II. Sullivan provided an assist in the 86th-minute in a 2–1 victory for Philadelphia. On May 9, 2024, he signed a homegrown contract with the Philadelphia Union until 2028, making him the fifth-youngest player to sign a first-team contract in Major League Soccer history. The deal was the most expensive homegrown deal in MLS history. Sullivan and his family confirmed to ESPN that the contract has a clause that calls for a transfer to Premier League club Manchester City once he turns 18, which the club's scouts described him as the "most exciting 14-year old in the world."
Sullivan made his Major League Soccer debut for the Philadelphia Union on July 17, 2024. At 14 years and 293 days old, Sullivan became the youngest player to appear in a league match for a major professional sports league in the United States and Canada, breaking Freddy Adu's record set in 2004 by 13 days. He mostly played for the Philadelphia Union II reserve team to develop in the 2024 MLS Next Pro season, finishing with eight goal contributions. On July 23, he played for the MLS Next East team in the MLS Next All-Star Game and was named the most valuable player for his goal and assist in the East's 4–2 victory. He returned to the Union II in the 2025 MLS Next Pro season, gaining 11 goal contributions in Next Pro before returning to the first team as a substitute option.
2026: Breakthrough season
On February 26, 2026, at age 16, Sullivan scored two goals, his first for the Union, and made two assists in a 7–0 win over Defence Force in round one of the CONCACAF Champions Cup, winning Man of the Match. He scored his first league goal for Philadelphia in a 4–3 loss to Orlando City on May 13, coming on as a substitute. All of this led to him being ranked #39 on the 2026 Goal NXGN list of the 50 best teenage wonderkids in the world.
Becoming a regular starter for the first team in the second half of the 2026 season, he scored and earned an assist on August 9 in a 3–1 win over Necaxa in the 2026 Leagues Cup. On August 16, he added two assists in a 3–2 win over New York City FC. Sullivan received a red card on August 19 near the end of a 2–2 draw with Inter Miami. He became involved in a scuffle after his older brother, Quinn, was stepped on by Miami player Ian Fray. Five days later, however, Sullivan's red card and an accompanying fine were unanimously rescinded by the league's Independent Review Panel. In the following match against Austin FC on August 22, Sullivan scored his team's only goal in a 1–1 draw. He scored in his third consecutive game on September 5 against CF Montréal, breaking Freddy Adu's league record of 11 goal contributions (goals and assists) by a 16 year old. Sullivan also became the first teenager in league history to have a goal contribution in five successive matches. On September 13, he scored his first brace, tallying two goals in a 5–0 victory over San Diego FC. He scored again in a 4–3 comeback victory over Sporting Kansas City on September 19, giving him six goals and two assists in a string of six games. On September 30, Sullivan was named MLS Player of the Month for September, becoming the youngest-ever player to win the award at 17 years and two days old.
International career
Cavan Sullivan
Sullivan is eligible to represent Germany, the United States, and Bangladesh. He has represented the United States at youth level, helping the United States under-15 team win the 2023 CONCACAF Boys' Under-15 Championship.
He earned his first senior callup by coach Mauricio Pochettino in September 2026, for the first four matches of the 2030 World Cup cycle. At 16 years and 363 days old, he made his senior team debut on September 26 in a 4–1 win over Peru, making him the second youngest American player to debut in the modern era since Freddy Adu in 2006 and the fourth youngest in United States national team history. One week later on October 3, in their 3–0 win over rivals Mexico, Sullivan became the youngest American goalscorer in history at 17 years and five days old by intercepting a pass from goalkeeper Raúl Rangel and chipping him from distance; on only his third appearance for the national team, breaking the previous age record that Mathis Albert had set just five days earlier in the preceding game.
Style of play
Cavan Sullivan
A left-footed player, Sullivan is primarily deployed as a midfielder and winger. He is known for his vision, dribbling, and directness.
Personal life
Cavan Sullivan
Cavan is the youngest of four children. His father, Brendan, played for five clubs over a six-year professional career in the A-League, now known as USL Championship, the second division of American soccer. Prior to that, Brendan was an All-Ivy League selection at the University of Pennsylvania and before that starred at St. Joseph's Prep in Philadelphia, where he later coached. His mother, Heike, also played NCAA Division I soccer and captained the Penn women's team.
Cavan's oldest brother, Quinn, plays for the Philadelphia Union. His other older brothers, Declan and Ronan, are also soccer players, with both attending YSC Academy and playing for MLS Next affiliate FC DELCO, as of December 2023. Cavan's older cousin is Chris Albright, a United States international who played two seasons for the Union, and his grandfather is Larry Sullivan, who served as the head coach at Villanova from 1991 to 2007. Cavan's uncle, Bryan Sullivan, was also on the coaching staff at Villanova. His maternal grandfather is Klaus Krippendorff.
Career statistics
Club
<table><thead><tr><th rowspan="2">Club</th><th rowspan="2">Season</th><th colspan="3">League</th><th colspan="2">U.S. Open Cup</th><th colspan="2">Continental</th><th colspan="2">Other</th><th colspan="2">Total</th></tr><tr><th>Division</th><th>Apps</th><th>Goals</th><th>Apps</th><th>Goals</th><th>Apps</th><th>Goals</th><th>Apps</th><th>Goals</th><th>Apps</th><th>Goals</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Philadelphia Union II</td><td>2024</td><td>MLS Next Pro</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td colspan="2">—</td><td colspan="2">—</td><td colspan="2">—</td><td>2</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td rowspan="4">Philadelphia Union</td><td>2024</td><td>MLS</td><td>3</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td colspan="2">—</td><td colspan="2">—</td><td>3</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>2025</td><td>MLS</td><td>11</td><td>0</td><td>3</td><td>0</td><td colspan="2">—</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>16</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>2026</td><td>MLS</td><td>24</td><td>7</td><td colspan="2">—</td><td>4</td><td>2</td><td>2</td><td>1</td><td>30</td><td>10</td></tr><tr><th colspan="2">Total</th><th>38</th><th>7</th><th>3</th><th>0</th><th>4</th><th>2</th><th>4</th><th>1</th><th>49</th><th>10</th></tr><tr><td rowspan="3">Philadelphia Union II (loan)</td><td>2024</td><td>MLS Next Pro</td><td>16</td><td>4</td><td colspan="2">—</td><td colspan="2">—</td><td>4</td><td>1</td><td>20</td><td>5</td></tr><tr><td>2025</td><td>MLS Next Pro</td><td>14</td><td>6</td><td colspan="2">—</td><td colspan="2">—</td><td colspan="2">—</td><td>14</td><td>6</td></tr><tr><th colspan="2">Total</th><th>30</th><th>10</th><th colspan="2">—</th><th colspan="2">—</th><th>4</th><th>1</th><th>34</th><th>11</th></tr><tr><th colspan="3">Career total</th><th>70</th><th>17</th><th>3</th><th>0</th><th>4</th><th>2</th><th>8</th><th>2</th><th>85</th><th>21</th></tr></tbody></table>
International
<table><thead><tr><th>National team</th><th>Year</th><th>Apps</th><th>Goals</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>United States</td><td>2026</td><td>3</td><td>1</td></tr><tr><th colspan="2">Total</th><th>3</th><th>1</th></tr></tbody></table>
<table><thead><tr><th>No.</th><th>Date</th><th>Venue</th><th>Opponent</th><th>Score</th><th>Result</th><th>Competition</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>1</td><td>October 3, 2026</td><td>State Farm Stadium, Glendale, United States</td><td> Mexico</td><td>2–0</td><td>3–0</td><td rowspan="2">Friendly</td></tr></tbody></table>
Honors
Cavan Sullivan
• Supporters' Shield: (/wiki/2025MajorLeagueSoccerseason)
• CONCACAF Under-15 Championship: (/wiki/2023CONCACAFBoys'Under-15Championship)
• MLS Player of the Month: September 2026