Fourteen-year-old Cavan Sullivan made history on Wednesday night as the youngest player in Major League Soccer, and likely in any top professional sports league globally. Sullivan, a midfielder for the Philadelphia Union, entered the game against the New England Revolution as a substitute at the age of 14 years and 293 days, surpassing Freddy Adu’s MLS debut record set in 2004 by about two weeks. His debut followed his brother Quinn’s goal, which put Philadelphia ahead 5-1.
Sullivan’s achievement also places him as younger than any player in the NBA, NHL, NFL, NWSL, WNBA, or Major League Baseball since 1970. The previous record-holder was Andrew Bynum, debuting for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2005 at 18 years and 6 days old. In global soccer leagues, the youngest debutant since 1988 was Ethan Nwaneri, who played for Arsenal in 2022 at 15 years and 181 days old.
