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Cavan Sullivan still has two summers left before making his move abroad to join eight-time Premier League champions Manchester City. For Philadelphia Union, it's hard not to be thrilled after one of the 16-year-old's most impressive MLS outings to date.
Sullivan has had his share of standout moments previously and has found the net in both the Concacaf Champions Cup and MLS this season, but few matches have seen him look as assured as he did during Wednesday night's 3–1 victory over New York Red Bulls.
Back in MLS regular season action following a two-month break caused by the World Cup, Sullivan dazzled with his dribbling and composure, playing a key role in the Union's win under interim head coach Ryan Richter.
He wrapped up the evening with six completed dribbles — the highest of any player on the pitch — and created a chance, all while applying enormous pressure on a Red Bull side that had been organized and defensively tight in the first half of the season.
Finishing with two shots, his finest moment arrived in the 44th minute with the score tied at 1-1. He decelerated to assess the play around him, identifying a gap between the Red Bulls' defenders, before unleashing an impressive sequence of stepovers, step-fakes and dribbling to split two defenders and deliver a cutback pass, which was ultimately intercepted.
The Philadelphia Union were poor to start the 2026 MLS season, but giving Cavan Sullivan a ton of minutes seems like a good idea.
He didn't score tonight, but boy does he look good on the ball at just 16 years old. pic.twitter.com/MazrW0LHId
"When we analyzed Red Bull and how they defend, they're extremely aggressive when they lose possession to immediately win it back, and they're very aggressive when you play a negative pass, so you need to play beyond that line to get in behind the last line. When we skipped and played into the pocket to create two-against-ones in wide areas... a lot of big chances came from those moments," said Richter, who deployed Sullivan in a right midfield role within a 4-4-2 behind right striker Bruno Damiani.
"Cavan looked threatening in many moments when he was able to beat his man one-on-one and really sharpen up some of his combinations, but he and Bruno Damiani have a really strong understanding of each other, and we'll keep working to develop that throughout the rest of the season."
While he didn't make it onto the scoresheet, Sullivan's 85 minutes on the pitch demonstrated the kind of chaos he can cause for defenders, along with his tenacity — winning nine of 12 ground duels and making six recoveries on top of his attacking contributions.
Cavan's Older Brother Quinn and Kai Wagner Return
Entering the second half of the MLS season deep in the Eastern Conference standings, a dramatic turnaround would be required for the Union to reach the MLS Cup playoffs.
However, they welcomed back some important familiar faces on Wednesday, as Cavan's older brother Quinn Sullivan made his comeback from injury and Kai Wagner returned following an unsuccessful spell at EFL Championship club Birmingham City.
No stopping 6'6" Neil Pierre on that one 😤
Philadelphia leads 3-1. pic.twitter.com/uyWLuZHMsX
Quinn Sullivan, 22, came off the bench for 17 minutes and shared the field with his brother for just the seventh time in their careers, with the pair helping secure the victory — the Union's first since April 11.
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Wagner made an immediate impact upon his return with an assist on 18-year-old Neil Pierre's first MLS goal, contributing three chances created in total. The 29-year-old left back spent seven seasons with the Union before departing in the offseason, embarking on a seven-month stint in England's second division before returning to Pennsylvania.
With Cavan Sullivan growing in confidence amid increased responsibilities and the reintegration of both Quinn Sullivan and Wagner, there is renewed optimism for the Union, who now trail the final MLS Cup playoff spot by nine points heading into Saturday's matchup against the Seattle Sounders.