History-maker Cavan Sullivan on course to break 13-year MLS record

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Tom Weber | Writer

It was a historic weekend in Major League Soccer as St. Louis City matched the all-time unbeaten record, while the Philadelphia Union extended their winning run to seven games.

City demolished the LA Galaxy 6-2 to equal Red Bull New York's streak of 20 games without defeat from 2016. As a result, they moved within a point of Western Conference leaders Vancouver Whitecaps, whom they will play on Wednesday.

St. Louis were a rudderless ship last year, and supporters were still unhappy with the club hierarchy as recently as this summer because of player departures and the amount of time it took to make signings. All that is forgotten now.

Head coach Yoann Damet has turned this team into one of the best in the league. They play with a clearly defined style and the conviction of a side determined to win silverware, be it in MLS or the US Open Cup.

Over in the East, Philadelphia are on a similarly incredible, record-breaking run of form. Interim coach Ryan Richter has transformed their fortunes and has yet to taste defeat in league play. The Union have won 11 of their 13 games under the 36-year-old.

Sullivan on the verge of breaking incredible record

A 2-1 victory over Real Salt Lake at the weekend extended Philly's winning streak to seven games and gave them a nine-point cushion over New York City FC in the first non-playoff spot.

When Richter took over from Bradley Carnell, the Union were dead last in the East; they are now sixth. It would take a massive collapse in the last six games of the regular season for them not to secure a place in the postseason.

What makes the Union's form all the more impressive is the fact that it has coincided with the emergence of teenagers Cavan Sullivan and Neil Pierre. Richter has put his faith in the youngsters, whom he knew from his time leading the reserves, and it is paying off handsomely.

Sullivan, in particular, has been a well-known commodity for some time. He has been considered the biggest talent since Christian Pulisic for years, but the fact that he is playing at a best-eleven caliber at 17 is remarkable.

A player of his age is not meant to be this good, yet since August, he has probably been the second-best player in MLS behind only Lionel Messi. Six of his seven league goals have come in the past two months.

Against RSL, Sullivan helped create Philadelphia's opener with a nice dribble. Because MLS is weird and officially tallies secondary assists, the 17-year-old is now on seven goals and 13 assists for the season.

That means that he has equaled Diego Fagundez's record for the most single-season goal contributions from a teenager with 20. It looked like a record that would stand the test of time when even Alphonso Davies, the best talent MLS had produced until Sullivan, fell just short in 2018.

Fagundez bagged 13 goals and seven assists for the New England Revolution all the way back in 2013, and while he was solid in the following seasons, he was never able to really develop beyond a good MLS level.

Davies, on the other hand, has gone on to become the best left-back in world soccer since joining Bayern Munich from the Vancouver Whitecaps off the back of his eight-goal, 11-assist 2018 season.

Sullivan will be hoping that he can emulate and perhaps even outshine the latter in the long term. In the short term, he will be determined to set a new record. All he needs is a goal or an assist in the final six games of the regular season.

The way he is playing right now, it seems almost like a formality.