Who is Cavan Sullivan? Sullivan first stepped onto a professional soccer field as a member of Major League Soccer’s (MLS) Philadelphia Union team. His debut, at fourteen years and 293 days, broke Freddy Adu’s longstanding record to become the youngest player to ever appear in the MLS. Following his 2024 entry into professional soccer, the hype surrounding him skyrocketed and the haters have reared their heads from all dark corners of the internet.
In March 2024, Philly Soccer Page told readers that “Potential … is just that: potential.” The author urged Union fans to “keep some perspective” about a fourteen-year-old player signing a record-breaking contract, given the history of youth in soccer and the unpredictability of famed soccer destiny. The Union had secured Sullivan on what was then called the richest “homegrown” ( Sullivan is from the Philadelphia suburb of Norristown) contract deal in MLS history. It also has an eventual move to Europe to join Manchester City built into it. So the narrative was set in stone: he was more than just a local youth product — he was a global soccer star in the making.
On July 17, 2024, the narrative changed its course. The Union announced that Sullivan would make his first MLS start at just fifteen years and 280 days. In doing so he became the second-youngest player in MLS history to start a match at that age. In his debut start at Nashville, he logged 60 total minutes of play, completed three of five passing attempts, and took his first yellow card: laying it all out on the line.
So what has come of his career since? Using MLS Next Pro Data from the 2025 Philly Union second team: Sullivan has now made fourteen appearances, six goals, and five assists. However, in his first MLS minutes he has not found the net and his minutes have dwindled. In twelve first team matches, he has had a total of six shots, one on target, shooting accuracy of around 16.7%, and no assists. So what does this data tell us? At the second team or reserve level, Sullivan is showing output in goals and assists, given his age. At the highest MLS level, Sullivan is being slowly eased in and the amount of minutes reflect this.
Maybe the article from March 2024 is proving to be prophetic. Sullivan is not immune to the basic caveats of teenage development; he is not “quite where he needs to be from a physical standpoint,” the Union head coach noted after the Nashville startle. Furthermore, many wunderkinds end up falling short not because of unadulterated talent but because of injury, mental or physical fatigue, or poor long-term management, as seen in the cases of Freddy Adu and Gedion Zelalem.
What does this mean for Sullivan and his future? At the club’s second team level, his performance indicates promise. He plays an exciting style, contributes to goals, and is competitive with much older players. The step of becoming a full-time MLS player still lays ahead, especially given his limited minutes and lack of tangible stats. This is not necessarily failure, however, but the process.
From my very expert opinion, Sullivan needs to focus on his physical development, as referenced by his coach, in addition to end products (i.e. goals and assists) and the ability to balance the mental load of being heralded as a “child prodigy.” In sum, Sullivan’s story is still unfolding and his future is unseen. He has already made history and has shown bright glimpses of his pure talent. The early narrative caution and perspective wasn’t about pulling down expectations but about rechanneling them into a better outlet. If he continues on this path, playing more minutes, contributing more, and learning, then his teenage debut will become the first section in a long, fruitful career. For now though, the message is stagnant; we will keep watching, hoping, and must look to keep perspective because, let’s be honest, none of us have excelled very much at fourteen or fifteen years old. Except maybe when playing Fortnite mobile.
