Philadelphia Union teen prospect Cavan Sullivan made Major League Soccer history Wednesday night in front of his home fans. The midfielder entered the match against the New England Revolution in the 85th minute to make his official debut. He only played about five minutes and his brother scored on the night. Nevertheless, Sullivan became the youngest player to ever feature for an MLS side at 14 years and 293 days old.
The previous record holder in the competition was former starlet Freddy Adu. Labeled by some as “the next Pele,” Adu made his MLS debut for D.C. United in the spring of 2004. Despite the lofty expectations, the former USMNT attacker bounced around 14 professional clubs in his career. Sullivan ended up topping Adu’s record by just 13 days.
Sullivan now the youngest pro player among the top US sports
Not only has Sullivan broken the MLS record, but it also tops similar feats in other American professional sports. Melanie Barcenas recently set the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) record for youngest player in 2023. The teen sensation made her San Diego Wave regular-season debut aged 15 years and 181 days.
The Elias Sports Bureau, which has been tracking various sports statistics since 1970, also claims that Sullivan is the youngest player among other top American divisions. Andrew Bynum made his NBA debut with the Los Angeles Lakers at 18 years and 6 days old.
Former San Jose Sharks great Patrick Marleau was drafted by the NHL team in 1997 and featured for the team almost immediately. This is a particularly rare feat for the sport. The forward was just 18 years and 16 days old at the time of his debut.
Texas Rangers pitcher David Clyde currently holds the record for youngest MLB player since 1970 as well. The top pick in the 1973 draft was 18 years and 66 days old after quickly moving up to the big leagues that same season. Rangers officials were previously criticized for calling on Clyde so soon and the pitcher eventually retired early due to injury issues.
Maria Stepanova was 19 years and 108 days old when she broke the record for youngest WNBA player in 1998. Nigerian-born Amobi Okoye also still holds the NFL age record after being drafted by the Houston Texans in 2007. The defensive tackle was just 20 years and 91 days old when he made his American football debut.
MLS has seen a sudden rise of teen debuts in recent seasons
Across the pond, current Arsenal starlet Ethan Nwaneri is the youngest player to ever feature in the Premier League. The attacker came on as a late substitute during his team’s 3-0 demolition of Brentford in September of 2022. Nwaneri was aged 15 years and 181 days at the time. The record was topped by some margin as well. Liverpool‘s Harvey Elliott was previously the youngest English top-flight player at 16 years and 30 days old while at Fulham.
Interestingly enough, there has been a recent surge of young players featuring for MLS sides. In fact, according to the league, five of the top-10 youngest players in the North American division’s history have made their debuts since 2023. Along with Sullivan, this list includes Julian Hall (NYRB), Axel Kei (Real Salt Lake), Stiven Jimenez (Cincinnati), and Nimfasha Berchimas (Charlotte). All of these youngsters made their recent league debut aged 16 or under.
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