Cavan Sullivan became the youngest player to appear in an MLS match, at 14 years and 293 days. He replaced Tai Baribo in the 85th minute, topping Freddy Adu’s record by 13 days. Adu set the previous mark at 14 years and 306 days when he debuted for DC United in 2004.

The deal Sullivan signed in May, considered the richest Homegrown signing in MLS history, allows the Union to continue developing him and benefit from his ability before he likely moves to the Premier League. This deal also lets him stay at home for a few more years as he matures.

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 goals in a 2-2 draw that the Americans won in a penalty shootout. He was named the best player at the Concacaf Under-15 championships, where he finished with two assists in a 4-2 victory over Mexico in the final.

The teenager also became the youngest North American player in a top-tier team sport.

Sullivan's brother, Quinn, 20, was one of the Union's goal scorers on Wednesday. When asked about his brother's goal, Cavan said, "It was absolute chaos. An incredible goal, a great finish."

"I think the combination of his goal and my substitution was complete anarchy. Honestly, it was one of the loudest things I've ever heard. The stadium was electrifying."

Sullivan added, "This is just the beginning. I'm very happy to have achieved it, but honestly, it's the first step I've taken."

"I know that what's important is where you end up, not where you start."

Adu, now 35, said, "Congratulations to Cavan Sullivan on his record debut today. It's a tough record to break and the kid did it. Well done and good luck, my friend."

"The collaboration between the Union and the City Group was what helped me. I always look at Manchester City. It's like any kid's dream team," Sullivan told ESPN.

"For Philadelphia and Manchester City to come together and reach an agreement on something, I sat down with my family and my agents and decided it was the best plan."

Before Sullivan's debut, Union coach Jim Curtin told the MLS website, "The sky is the limit. He is a generational talent, someone who can really change the game by himself."

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United States Debuts Against Jamaica in Their First Match in the Concacaf U-20 Championship

The United States U-20 youth national team will begin its journey this Friday towards the next World Cup to be held in Chile in 2025.

The US team is the top-ranked team in the tournament and was drawn into Group A. Their group stage schedule is as follows:

- United States vs. Jamaica: Friday, July 19, 10:00 PM EST

- United States vs. Cuba: Monday, July 22, 10:00 PM EST

- United States vs. Costa Rica: Thursday, July 25, 10:00 PM EST

This 21-player squad is very young by U.S. U-20 team standards. The cut-off date is for players born after January 1, 2005. In that sense, those born in 2005 should be the leaders of this group, but they are not.

Coach Michael Nsien is incorporating three players playing a cycle up, including Nimfasha Berchimas who, as a 2008-born player, is also eligible for the current U-17 cycle and Zavier Gozo and Ruben Ramos Jr. made it as 2007-born players.

According to the official notes from the US Soccer release 16 of the 20 players have played in both MLS NEXT and MLS NEXT Pro in their careers. These 16 have appeared in over 400 MLS NEXT Pro matches and half of them (eight) have continued playing in MLS.

The U-20 national team has improved over the last decade with the improvement of MLS. The nature of more first-team minutes and higher quality has accelerated the development of top youth players. It’s no surprise that the team has reached the quarterfinals of four consecutive U-20 World Cups in 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2023, and won three consecutive Concacaf U-20 titles (2017, 2019, and 2023, the only three titles in the program’s history).

This team started the cycle with the first of two camps taking place last March. In March, the team defeated England 3-2 and lost 1-0 vs. Morocco. Then, in June, the team traveled to South America to defeat Argentina 1-0 in Buenos Aires and then Uruguay 1-0 in Montevideo.

The national team's first game against Jamaica will be a real test due to the playing style of the Caribbean team. Jamaica's roster includes the highly rated Atlanta United forward Ashton Gordon, who was born in 2007 and has been part of Jamaica U-17 in the past. Another 2007-born player, Joshua Grant, will be crucial for this team. The young New York Red Bulls goalkeeper has had a solid season in MLS NEXT U-17 and earned a call-up to the national team. Nyle Waugh will be the other dual national on this team; the FC Dallas U-19 forward stood out as one of the academy's best players after recently joining them.

Both Cuba and Costa Rica presented strong rosters and have established themselves as strong teams in the region. Cuba finished first in Group A of the qualifiers, winning all four matches against Nicaragua, British Virgin Islands, Belize, and Anguilla. Meanwhile, Costa Rica, like the United States, entered the tournament automatically given their ranking.