‘He’s not a normal kid’: Cavan Sullivan breaks headlines in Union debut

Quinn Sullivan scored a fantastic goal. He wasn’t the headline. Tai Baribo scored a hat trick. He wasn’t the headline, either.

The headliner, as it would always be, was Cavan Sullivan.

Cavan made MLS history for the Philadelphia Union, making his professional debut at 14 years and 293 days old. He became the youngest athlete to ever appear in a major league professional match in North America.

Cavan Sullivan’s debut was expected, in some sense. Union head coach Jim Curtin announced Tuesday that Sullivan would be in the matchday squad. With the clock ticking to beat Freddy Adu’s record as the youngest player to ever appear in an MLS game, it felt like the Union might push Sullivan to the pitch as soon as possible.

However, Sullivan didn’t play like a 14-year-old going up against men nearing 30 years old. His fast-paced motor and aggression was clear from his first touches. After playing back-and-forth passes with his brother in down the left touchline, Sullivan sprinted toward the New England Revolution’s backline like he’d been playing with the Union’s first team for several months, not a handful of minutes.

“That first step on the field, all the nerves, all the pressure, all the noise, it sort of just disappears,” Sullivan said postgame. “Even the fans, it gets blocked out.”

Fans, who sat through a thunderstorm to see the youngster debut, cheered every time he touched the ball. While Sullivan didn’t match his dream of playing in front of a sold-out Subaru Park in his debut, he said he still felt the love from fans.

His coach made sure to give him plenty of love as well.

“I thought it was a special, special night. Cavan deserved to be in the group and did a great job,” Curtin said. “Even his touches in the game, you see his fearlessness. That was fun to watch.”

This is just the start for Sullivan. He’s reportedly set to move to Manchester City when he’s 18 years old, or for one of their outposts abroad even younger if the European giants see fit. He’s garnered global attention — everywhere from Dortmund to the basketball courts of Sea Isle City, New Jersey, where he signed autographs for fans in the area. Apple TV crews followed him around from the warm-up area to the touchline as he prepared to enter the pitch. Everyone wants a piece of Sullivan.

“The reality is, guys, he’s not a normal kid. We’ve known that from the start,” Curtin said. “Do I still want him to play like a kid and play with that joy in the backyard with his brothers? Of course, but he’s different.

“So because he’s different, he has a different plan and different trajectory than other players in our group. And that’s the reality of the professional level.”

Plenty of voices have a role in Sullivan’s development. His family has been around him forever and has already bred one professional soccer player. Quinn Sullivan has had a hand in guiding his younger brother.

The Union and Manchester City also have a role in figuring out what Sullivan’s future looks like, both in the short and long terms.

“This is just the first chapter in Cavan’s career. For those that don’t know we do have a plan for him,” Curtin said. “It’s not just you know, minute by minute or day by day. There is a plan in place.”

The 14-year-old wasn’t the best player on the pitch, but the future will show whether or not he truly had the highest ceiling of those at Subaru Park. No matter who’s pulling on the strings, Curtin’s goal is to get Sullivan to develop for as long as he’s wearing a blue and gold kit in Chester, Pennsylvania.

“Is he perfect, is he the finished product? He’s 14,” Curtin said. “So I understand that he’s not, but this first step is something that was planned by the Union, by Cavan, by his family, by big clubs in Europe as well that have a say in things too.”