A record even Freddy Adu never had
Cavan Sullivan became the youngest player in MLS history on Saturday night to record a goal contribution in five straight matches. He was 16 years and 342 days old.
The Philadelphia Union midfielder scored in the 75th minute of his side’s 2-0 win over CF Montreal. It was his third goal in as many games. Across his last five league outings, he has three goals and three assists.
The headline stat comes from the full season. Eleven goal contributions, four goals and seven assists – the best total ever posted by a 16-year-old in MLS. The previous mark belonged to Freddy Adu, who finished with four goals and six assists in 2005.
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LeBron James’s chalk toss to celebrate
Then came the celebration. Sullivan went with LeBron James’s trademark ritual, tossing powder into the air before the big moment, as a nod to Philadelphia’s new star turn.
The whole thing had been planned for a while. Sullivan said he’d been waiting for the right moment for a few matches, and the club photographer had kept the chalk ready. He felt the night called for it.
That says plenty about a player born in 2009 who has already been in a pro squad for two seasons.
A career that is already out of the ordinary
Sullivan has carried a special status since July 17, 2024. On that day, against the New England Revolution, he became the youngest player ever to start in North American team sports. He was 14 years and 293 days old.
Again, the previous record belonged to Freddy Adu, who came on for DC United in 2004 at 14 years and 306 days. The two feats are separated by 20 years and just 13 days on the clock.
The Adu comparison also comes with a warning label. The 2000s wonderkid never turned that early promise into a major career. Sullivan, by contrast, is already putting up numbers Adu never matched at the same age, and he’s doing it in a league that is a far tougher ask than it was in 2005.
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