Cavan Sullivan
American soccer player (born 2009)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cavan Ayaz Sullivan (born September 28, 2009) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Major League Soccer club Philadelphia Union and the United States national team.
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Sullivan with the Philadelphia Union in 2025 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Cavan Ayaz Sullivan[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | September 28, 2009 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Midfielder | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Philadelphia Union | ||||||||||||||||
| Number | 6 | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2020 | FC Delco | ||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2024 | Philadelphia Union | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2024 | Philadelphia Union II | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2024– | Philadelphia Union | 38 | (7) | ||||||||||||||
| 2024–2025 | → Philadelphia Union II (loan) | 30 | (10) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | United States U15 | 9 | (5) | ||||||||||||||
| 2024– | United States U17 | 12 | (4) | ||||||||||||||
| 2024– | United States U18 | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2026– | United States | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 03:54, September 20, 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of September 26, 2026 | |||||||||||||||||
In March 2024, Sullivan became the most expensive homegrown deal 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.
A youth international for the United States, Sullivan won the 2023 CONCACAF Boys' Under-15 Championship with the United States under-15 team.
Early life
Cavan was born on September 28, 2009, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is of German-Bangladeshi descent through his mother.[2][3][4]
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.[5]
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.[6] Sullivan provided an assist in the 86th minute in a 2–1 victory for Philadelphia.[7] 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.[8] The deal was the most expensive homegrown deal in MLS history.[9][10] 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.[11]
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.[12][13] He mostly played for the Philadelphia Union II reserve team to develop in the 2024 MLS Next Pro season, finishing with eight goal contributions.[14] 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.[15] 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.[14]
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.[16] He scored his first league goal for Philadelphia a 4–3 loss to Orlando City on May 13, coming on as a substitute.[17] All of this led to him being ranked #39 on the 2026 Goal NXGN list of the 50 best teenage wonderkids in the world.[18]
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.[19] On August 16, he added two assists in a 3–2 win over New York City FC.[20] 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.[21] Five days later, however, Sullivan's red card and an accompanying fine were unanimously rescinded by the league's Independent Review Panel.[22] In the following match against Austin FC on August 22, Sullivan scored his team's only goal in a 1–1 draw.[23] 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.[24][25][26] On September 13, he scored his first brace, tallying two goals in a 5–0 victory over San Diego FC.[27] 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.[28]
International career
Sullivan is eligible to represent Germany, the United States, and Bangladesh.[29][30] He has represented the United States at youth level, helping the United States under-15 team win the 2023 CONCACAF Boys' Under-15 Championship.[31]
He earned his first senior callup by coach Mauricio Pochettino in September 2026, for the first four matches of the 2030 World Cup cycle.[32] At 16 years old, he became the second youngest American ever to receive a senior callup, after only Freddy Adu.[33]
Style of play
Sullivan mainly operates as a midfielder. He is left-footed. He is known for his vision.[34]
Personal life
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 the USL Championship, the second division of American soccer. Prior to that, Brendan was an All-Ivy League selection at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) and before that starred at St. Joseph's Prep in Philadelphia. He then went on to coach at his alma mater. His mother, Heike, also played Division I soccer and captained the Penn women's team.[35][36][37]
Cavan's oldest brother, Quinn, plays for the Philadelphia Union.[38] 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.[39] Cavan's older cousin is Chris Albright, an American 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.[35][40] Cavan's uncle, Bryan Sullivan, was a Division I goalkeeper at Philadelphia Textile (now Division II Jefferson) and was also on the coaching staff at Villanova.[41] His maternal grandfather is Klaus Krippendorff.[4]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played September 19, 2026[42]
| Club | Season | League | U.S. Open Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Philadelphia Union II | 2024 | MLS Next Pro | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| Philadelphia Union | 2024 | MLS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2025 | MLS | 11 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 2[a] | 0 | 16 | 0 | ||
| 2026 | MLS | 24 | 7 | — | 4[b] | 2 | 2[c] | 1 | 30 | 10 | ||
| Total | 38 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 49 | 10 | ||
| Philadelphia Union II (loan) | 2024 | MLS Next Pro | 16 | 4 | — | — | 4[d] | 1 | 20 | 5 | ||
| 2025 | MLS Next Pro | 14 | 6 | — | — | — | 14 | 6 | ||||
| Total | 30 | 10 | — | — | 4 | 1 | 34 | 11 | ||||
| Career total | 70 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 85 | 21 | ||
- Appearances in MLS Cup playoffs
- Appearances in CONCACAF Champions Cup
- Appearances in Leagues Cup
- Appearances in MLS Next Pro playoffs
International
- As of match played September 26, 2026[43]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 2026 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 1 | 0 | |
Honors
Philadelphia Union
United States U15
