PHILADELPHIA - LeBron James may be the new king of Philadelphia, but Cavan Sullivan is quickly cementing himself as the fresh prince.
Scoring his third goal in as many games on Saturday night, the 16-year-old phenom became the youngest player in MLS history (and first teenager) to record a five-game goal contribution streak at 16 years and 342 days old.
Sullivan's remarkable form has coincided with an incredible turnaround for the Philadelphia Union, who, courtesy of the teenager's result-sealing goal, extended their league unbeaten run to eight games in a 2-0 win over CF Montréal at Subaru Park.
As a result, Philly are in an Audi MLS Cup Playoff position for the first time this season.
Teenage trailblazer
As impressive as that is, it was not the only record Sullivan shattered on the night.
After tying Freddy Adu's single-season goal contribution benchmark for a 16-year-old or younger in MLS last weekend, Sullivan now holds that summit all to himself with 11 goal contributions (4g/7a) this season.
He also helped the Union extend the longest streak in MLS history in which a teenager has scored or assisted in a match for their club (nine games), further setting the standard for youth development across the league.
“He is finishing plays off. Getting himself into positions to score goals that don’t all need to be like his goal against Red Bull, when he makes an incredible individual play,” said interim head coach Ryan Richter.
“You can contribute to the game and get your goals and assists, be decisive and productive in the game by being in the right place at the right time. And that’s where he was tonight, and he finished the play well.”
Fit for a King
And while breaking records is fun for Sullivan, creative celebrations may be another forte.
The wunderkind paid homage to the biggest offseason acquisition for the Philadelphia 76ers, none other than NBA legend LeBron James.
“I was waiting to do that for a while,” Sullivan said of pulling out the 'Chalk Toss' celebration.
“I had Kim, our photographer, holding the chalk for multiple games. I just kept missing out on it! Tonight, great crowd, I figured it was the perfect time.”
Playoffs in sight
Since Richter took the reins following the FIFA World Cup pause, the Union have gone undefeated (6W-0L-2D) and entered the playoff picture.
Philly were in last place heading into the break.
“Overall, not a perfect performance, but another win at home, and we need to keep this going in the right direction, and, again, keep trying to improve as a team, and not be satisfied just with the result,” said Richter.
Sullivan will look to extend his records while also continuing to push the Union up the table as they host Evander and FC Cincinnati at Subaru Park on Wednesday night (7:45 pm ET | Apple TV; FS1, FOX Deportes).
“It is a friendly rivalry,” said Richter. “But it is a chance for us, against a really good team, at home, to show that we can compete with the next level of teams in the Eastern Conference.”
