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Philadelphia carries the nickname the City of Brotherly Love, a fitting moniker for the Philadelphia Union, who are currently dominating the league on the strength of the Sullivan brothers — 16-year-old Cavan and 22-year-old Quinn.
Since Quinn made his comeback from an ACL injury in late July, the duo has combined for seven goals and 12 assists across all competitions, propelling the Union to a 12-game unbeaten run and lifting them from the lower reaches of the MLS standings into genuine playoff contention.
The standout performer has been teenager Cavan, who is enjoying a remarkable breakout season. The midfielder has tallied six goals and seven assists over the past two months, contributing to at least one goal in each of the Union's last five matches. He is rapidly cementing his place as one of the finest teenagers in MLS history and a cornerstone of the U.S. men's national team's future.
The Sullivan brothers are hardly the only sibling pair to leave their mark on MLS, however. Across the league's 31-year history, some of its greatest players have shared the pitch with their brothers, with several claiming U.S. Open Cup, MLS Cup, and Concacaf Champions Cup honors — and some even competing at the FIFA Club World Cup.
Barring any unexpected setbacks, the Sullivan brothers have roughly one more full season together before Cavan turns 18 and departs for Premier League side Manchester City. If they maintain this level of performance through the remainder of this season and the next, they could certainly stake a claim among the greatest brotherly duos in MLS history.
To get there, though, they'll need to surpass some formidable competition. Here, Sports Illustrated ranks the top sibling pairs in MLS history — a prestigious list the Sullivans have yet to crack.
5. DaMarcus and Jamar Beasley
The Beasley brothers' legacy was shaped primarily by DaMarcus Beasley's enduring success in MLS, complemented by four seasons of contributions from his older brother, Jamar Beasley.
A versatile left back and left winger, DaMarcus made 222 MLS appearances between 1999 and 2019, building a 20-year career that also took him across Europe and Mexico. He earned 123 caps for the U.S. men's national team, becoming the only USMNT player to appear in four World Cup tournaments (2002, 2006, 2010, 2014). During his MLS stints with the L.A. Galaxy, Chicago Fire, and Houston Dynamo, he captured three U.S. Open Cup titles, though an MLS Cup title eluded him.
Jamar, meanwhile, made 66 appearances for the New England Revolution and Chicago Fire between 1998 and 2001, joining DaMarcus in Chicago during that final year, before embarking on a distinguished indoor soccer career that included two Futsal World Cups and legendary status in U.S. indoor and arena soccer.
4. Chris and Stephen Wondolowski
The Wondolowski brothers have combined for more goals than any other sibling pair in MLS history. Chris Wondolowski remains the league's all-time leading scorer with 171 goals and 42 assists — a tally that elevates them to the top of the all-time scoring duo rankings. His brother Stephen never found the net in MLS, making just four appearances across all competitions with the Houston Dynamo in 2008.
The pair were teammates at the Dynamo in 2005, though Chris's finest moments came in San Jose, where he became a club icon across two stints — first before the Earthquakes relocated to Houston, and again when the franchise returned to San Jose as an expansion side.
While their shared 2008 season produced no standout moments together, they qualify for this distinction in a manner reminiscent of hockey's greatest sibling duo, the Gretzkys — featuring 2,857 points from Wayne Gretzky alongside just four from his brother Brent.
3. Giovani and Jonathan dos Santos
Giovani dos Santos will forever hold a cherished place in the hearts of L.A. Galaxy supporters, even though he was unable to deliver an MLS Cup to the league's most decorated club during his time there from 2015 to 2018. While he was the defining face of a Galaxy era, his younger brother Jonathan dos Santos also played a significant role, overlapping with him for two seasons in 2017 and 2018 before remaining at the club through 2021.
Giovani, who had stints at Barcelona, Villarreal, and Tottenham Hotspur, among other European clubs, served as a high-profile overseas representative for the Mexican national team at a time when Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez was largely the only other prominent El Tri figure playing abroad. Jonathan also had spells at Barcelona and Villarreal, though he never quite achieved the same level of recognition as his older brother.
Together, the two drew significant attention from L.A.'s Mexican community to the club and helped lay the foundation for the team's eventual MLS Cup triumph in 2024. Giovani finished his MLS career with 26 goals and 22 assists in 77 appearances. Jonathan contributed six goals and seven assists as a central midfielder across 103 MLS appearances before departing for Club América.
2. Cristian and Alex Roldan
The Roldan brothers are the embodiment of West Coast soccer. Both grew up in California and have spent their entire professional careers with the Seattle Sounders, establishing themselves as a defining pair across multiple eras of MLS in Seattle — from the Fredy Montero and Clint Dempsey years through to the present squad.
Cristian Roldan, now 31, has made 322 MLS appearances for the Sounders, contributing 40 goals and 56 assists. During that span, the midfielder helped Seattle claim two MLS Cup titles in 2016 and 2019, as well as the 2025 Leagues Cup. He also guided the Sounders to the 2022 Concacaf Champions Cup, making them the only MLS side to win the continental tournament since 2000.
That consistency and leadership earned Cristian the captain's armband on multiple occasions and made him a regular fixture in the USMNT setup under various managers, featuring in both the 2022 and 2026 World Cups.
Alex, meanwhile, has registered four goals and 23 assists in 211 regular-season appearances at fullback for the Sounders, bolstering their defensive unit since 2018 and playing an integral role in the 2019 MLS Cup, Leagues Cup, and Concacaf Champions Cup triumphs.
While others on this list may boast slightly more individual brilliance, the Roldans are royalty in U.S. soccer and the only MLS brothers to have appeared together at a FIFA Club World Cup, doing so in 2025.
1. Diego and Yimmi Chara
No sibling duo in MLS has been as dominant or as central to a club's identity as the Chará brothers were for the Portland Timbers. The elder, Diego Chará, is still going strong at 40, having been part of the club since his MLS debut in 2011. The younger, Yimmi Chará, represented the Timbers from 2020 to 2023 before returning to Colombia.
Neither was a prolific scorer, but their durability is extraordinary. Diego has accumulated 445 MLS appearances since 2011, scoring 12 goals and adding 37 assists along the way. He has been a cornerstone of every Timbers era, with his finest moment coming during the club's run to the 2015 MLS Cup title.
Beyond his regular-season appearances, Diego has featured in 26 MLS Cup playoff matches, and when all competitions are factored in, his total climbs to a staggering 503 appearances — a true MLS legend by any measure. Yimmi, for his part, scored 15 goals and provided 29 assists in 115 MLS appearances as a winger across four seasons, and played a key role in the Timbers' 2020 MLS is Back Tournament victory.
Together, the Chará brothers represent the gold standard of longevity, success, and production in MLS, while earning the deep affection of supporters across multiple chapters of the league's history.