Cavan Sullivan eschews words like child prodigy, phenomenon or even prodigy, all the things he was called at the age of fourteen. But there’s no doubt that Sullivan is talented. On Thursday, the Philadelphia Union formally announced that they have signed their academy prospect to a contract from Homegrown that will eventually see him join Manchester City.
“I tend not to even listen to what they call me or what they say about me. It’s really just what I think of myself,” Sullivan said. “I don’t really listen to anyone, whether it’s good or bad. So it doesn’t affect me at all.”
The long-rumored deal – reportedly the richest homegrown signing in Major League Soccer history, although no details have been released, the Union will allow Sullivan to further develop and take advantage of his abilities in the short term, before taking advantage when he most likely moves abroad to the Premier League. The deal also allows him to stay home for a few more years as he gets older.
Sullivan is considered one of the best American players of his generation. In an Under-15 match last April between the US and England, he scored both of his team’s goals in a 2-2 draw that the Americans won on penalties. He was named the best player of the Concacaf Under 15 Championshipswhere he ended up with a few assists in a 4–2 win over Mexico in the final. Union coach Jim Curtin recently called Sullivan “a special talent, top talent, not only in this country but in the world.”
Sullivan has already made his professional debut when he came off the bench for Union’s MLS NEXT team last month and recorded an assist for the winning goal. He has played two games for the team, which is a step below the Union’s senior team.
The teenager hopes to make his senior debut for Union this year. If he does, he will join his brother Quinn, another youth product who has played for the team since 2021.
Sullivan (14 years, 224 days) is the fifth-youngest player to sign a first-team contract in MLS history. If he plays for the Union before July 29, he will become the youngest player to ever play in a match. Freddy Adu was 14 years and 306 days old when he made his debut for DC United in 2004.
“If I’m completely honest, I think Jim Curtin was instrumental in getting Cavan here,” says his father, Brendan Sullivan. “He called us, contacted us and said, ‘Look, I think he can play for me right away.’ With a little bit of coaching, we think he’s ready and we’re willing to take that on.”
Born in Philadelphia, Sullivan is the youngest of four brothers. Quinn, 20, is the oldest. Brendan Sullivan played professionally in the A-League, which eventually became the USL First Division, a level below MLS. His mother, Heike, played at Penn. Grandfather Larry coached at Villanova from 1991 to 2007. Sullivan said he first started getting attention from clubs when he was just 10.
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“I think that’s when I really thought, ‘This is happening.’ It didn’t feel real, but it did trigger something in my mind where I thought, ‘I can do this,'” Sullivan said.
Sullivan cannot play for Manchester City until he is 18. But he has a German passport that allows him to move to Europe at the age of 16 and play for City-affiliated teams such as Girona in Spain or Palermo in Italy.
“I think my goal is to become a regular player [for Philadelphia] within the next two years,” Sullivan said. “Then I hope to be a starter after that. I think that’s between 16 and 18 years old. And then, right when I’m 18, I hope to be at the level of the Man City first team.”
Due to the joint transfer agreement with Manchester City, Sullivan’s deal is unusual. It shows that the Premier League club is confident that the Union can develop an elite player. City will Reportedly He must pay more than five million dollars to activate a pre-arranged clause in Sullivan’s contract to bring him to the Premier League when he turns 18.
However, Sullivan isn’t looking too far ahead. In many ways he is a typical teenager, albeit very gifted. He jokes: “I’m a pretty boring kid to be honest.”
“I mean, you can see him. He’s a pretty well-balanced kid,” his mother said. “He really does that on his own. I’m sure we’ll help keep him grounded, but I think he’s already under house arrest, and I think he should get a lot of credit for that.”