Cavan Sullivan makes pro debut, youngest player in North American sports and European top five leagues history | OneFootball

Cavan Sullivan became the youngest professional athlete to make his professional debut in North American sports history when he came on in the 85th minute for the Philadelphia Union against the New England Revolution.

Philadelphia head coach Jim Curtin announced earlier this week that Sullivan would be in the first-team squad for its Wednesday night match. "Tomorrow he will be in the 20 because he's earned that. If you look at his performances in the Union II games, the goals that he has scored, Cavan has earned the right," Curtin said Tuesday afternoon.

Sullivan is one of the most highly touted American players who will join Manchester City when he turns 18 in 2027.

The Union came into the night last in the MLS Eastern Conference looking for a spark to jolt their season. A hat-trick from Tai Baribo put the team 4-1 up jumping from 15th to 12th in the standings. Cavan's brother, Quinn, scored in the 84th minute right before he came on in the 85th.

A big result was likely necessary to give Sullivan a comfortable situation to enter at just 14-years-old. A similar comparison can be drawn to Premier League side Arsenal who debuted Ethan Nwaneri at 15-years-old two seasons ago in a 3-0 win at Brentford. Nwaneri broke a club record held by Cesc Fabregas which was set in 2003, and a league record set by Harvey Elliot in 2019.

Sullivan broke Adu's record which has stood for 20 years. Not only is Sullivan the youngest player make his debut among the top five European leagues (Premier League, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, LaLiga, Serie A) and UEFA's Champions and Europa Leagues, but he's the youngest player to debut in the top North American professional sports leagues (MLB, MLS, NBA, NFL, NHL, NWSL, WNBA).

He wasn't the only player to make his debut on the night. New England homegrown player Peyton Miller came on late in the second half making his debut at 16-years-old.

Youngest MLS players to sign first-team contracts

Youngest MLS players to make professional debut