Cavan Sullivan: Philadelphia Union phenom savors “special” academy days

COLUMBUS – The MLS NEXT All-Star Game presented by Allstate is meant as a sneak preview of sorts, a chance to glimpse some of MLS’s top academy prospects on their climb towards a professional career and, perhaps, eventual stardom.

The biggest name at this year’s edition is running ahead of schedule, however.

Cavan Sullivan will headline Tuesday’s youth showcase (11:30 am ET), six days after making his MLS debut in the Philadelphia Union’s 5-1 win over New England last week, thereby setting new records for both the league and professional team sports at large as the youngest-ever player at 14 years and 293 days of age.

Even on the MLS NEXT rosters, Sullivan remains the youngest on either his East squad or the West team they will face at Historic Crew Stadium. He’s savoring his latest memorable milestone on the long climb up the ladder from academy to first team, albeit with plenty of the same competitive mentality that has helped pace his rapid rise through the ranks to this point.

“I know a lot of these kids and it’s nice to see them not at a national team camp, but in an MLS environment. It’s a really cool experience with great people who make it even better,” Sullivan told MLSsoccer.com on Monday morning as he watched the MLS All-Stars train at the OhioHealth Performance Center, the sleek facility the Columbus Crew built alongside their former stadium.

“Being around the guys, my East teammates – East is the best, just want to put that out there,” he added. “The game should be pretty cool and all that comes with an event like this: the gear, the environment. This whole match is cool.”

Lifetime memories

Sullivan, along with his East All-Stars teammate Diego Rocio, helped the Union’s Under-17 side win their second consecutive Generation adidas Cup championship in April, which he cites as his fondest memory of his time in Philly’s youth system.

He now splits time between the Union’s MLS NEXT Pro squad and aspires to be a first-team regular as soon as possible. But he’ll always cherish the experiences of his youth days.

“The games where the other academy teams are there supporting you, banging on the boards, those were my favorite. I’ll miss those for sure,” said Sullivan. “Those academy days and the tournaments where the 15s and the 17s go down, it’s just a blast. Even going to the other team’s game and experiencing that energy shift, it’s special.”

With just five MLS minutes officially under his belt, some of the biggest stars on the continent have already taken notice of Sullivan’s rise. Speaking at Monday’s All-Star press conference, Tigres UANL star André-Pierre Gignac brought up the teenager when asked for his observations about soccer culture in the United States.

“I just saw that a 16-year-old – 14? A 14-year-old player came into his first match in the league, and that’s also really important, that the processes start very early. That’s a plus when we can see in the quality of the senior national team,” said the French striker.

“At a young age, a lot more players are going to Europe than there were 10 years back.”

Managing the spotlight

Sullivan has already become something of a celebrity in his own right. Philly coach Jim Curtin revealed on Wednesday that the phenom had recently caused a stir down at the Jersey Shore when he turned up at a summer-league basketball game in Sea Isle City, drawing autograph seekers, many of them younger players who admire someone like them who’s gotten so good, so young.

“I enjoy being looked up to by kids. It’s interesting. Like, why me? Why not another player? I don’t really know the answer to that question,” said Sullivan. “But I was in their shoes once in my life, too. I want to give them that attention because I know what it’s like when you maybe get ignored. But it’s definitely cool to have a little bit of a fanbase.”

Wednesday’s debut provided not only a historic introduction for Cavan, widely rated as one of the world’s most talented youngsters, but also a memorable moment for the entire family. His older brother Quinn netted AT&T MLS Goal of the Matchday mere seconds before he entered the match, adding that much more joy to a watershed occasion for the entire family of six and North American soccer as a whole.

“I’ve seen some videos online of me running to my family. I downloaded them immediately because it was really special to run to them, give them a hug. Celebrating with my massive family after the game was awesome,” said Cavan, who also has twin older brothers, Ronan and Declan, who play in MLS NEXT for FC Delco.

“It’s my mom, dad, brothers in the corner. Then after, when I showered and got changed, I came back out and there’s 40 people there, 20 kids, all cousins. It was awesome.”

All that said, the teenager has already shown poise beyond his years when speaking with media, and flashed a veteran’s ‘on to the next’ mentality in making clear that the big night is done and dusted.

“It was special, but things are back to normal now. I’m finding my groove in training. At the end of the day, nobody really cares about the debut so much anymore,” Sullivan said. “Now it’s about the regular season and Leagues Cup is coming up. All of our focus is on that.”

“It’s just being consistent now – be consistently in the lineup, keep developing with the second team until Jim Curtin thinks I’m ready to start.”

Jonathan Sigal contributed to reporting for this story.