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Cavan Sullivan's remarkable ascent shows no signs of stopping. The teenage sensation was awarded MLS Player of the Month for September 2026.
At just 17 years and two days old, Sullivan becomes the youngest player in history to claim the accolade. He is also only the fourth Philadelphia Union player to receive the honor, joining Tai Baribo, Jack McInerney and Sébastien Le Toux in that distinguished group.
Sullivan earned the award thanks to his outstanding form throughout September. Despite missing the latter part of the month to feature for the U.S. men's national team during the extended fall international window, his contributions for the Union were simply impossible to overlook.
Across just four appearances, Sullivan racked up nine goal contributions — the highest total of any MLS player in September. Even with global stars like Lionel Messi and Son Heung-min regularly commanding attention across North America, it was the 17-year-old American who delivered the most in the attacking third.
Sullivan notched five assists and four goals during that stretch, helping Philadelphia go through September without surrendering a single point.
Sullivan's Brilliant Form Dates Back Even Further
As if his September output wasn't already remarkable, Sullivan has now registered at least one goal contribution in each of his last eight matches for the Union — the longest such streak by a teenager in MLS history.
As a result, Philadelphia sit sixth in the Eastern Conference table, just four points behind fourth-place Charlotte FC. While the club have no realistic shot at defending last season's Supporters' Shield, they are well-positioned to secure a berth in the MLS Cup playoffs.
Ryan Richter's side are finding their best form at exactly the right moment. In September alone, they netted a league-best 20 goals and posted the top goal differential in MLS (+15).
Philadelphia Union opened the month with a two-goal victory over CF Montréal before dismantling FC Cincinnati and San Diego FC with five goals apiece. They then found the net four times each against Sporting Kansas City and Orlando City.
The conclusion is hard to avoid: with Sullivan operating at his peak, Philadelphia have emerged as one of the most threatening attacking forces in the entire league.
Sullivan Earning His Place With the USMNT
It came as little surprise when Sullivan received his first senior USMNT call-up for the September-October international break. The Philadelphia native was among eight teenagers selected by manager Mauricio Pochettino for friendlies against Peru, Chile, Mexico and Canada.
Sullivan was handed his opportunity in the team's commanding 4–1 victory over Peru on Saturday, playing 62 minutes on his senior national team debut. Pochettino was full of admiration for the youngster, who was still 16 years old when he made his first appearance for the senior side.
"I'm so happy with his performance. I feel really proud," Pochettino said. "At 16 years old, performing, fighting and playing with personality, with character."
That display wasn't enough to secure back-to-back starts, however. Sullivan had to make do with just seven minutes as a substitute in the Stars and Stripes' 4–2 triumph over Chile on Tuesday.
Unlike fellow debutants Justin Ellis, Julian Hall and Mathis Albert, Sullivan is still awaiting his first goal at senior international level. The encouraging news is that he has an incredibly long career ahead of him in red, white and blue.