16-year-old Cavan Sullivan becomes youngest American goalscorer in Champions Cup history with late-game brace

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Philadelphia Union prodigy Cavan Sullivan celebrates after scoring one of the two historic goals he recorded during a 7-0 rout of Trinidad and Tobago's Defence Force F.C. on Feb. 26 in the Concacaf Champions Cup. (Photo by Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

In July 2014, Cavan Sullivan made his Major League Soccer debut. At just 14 years and 293 days old, he became the youngest player to ever appear in an MLS game.

Sullivan, a wunderkind on the pitch, will reportedly join Premier League titan Manchester City at the end of the 2027 when he's 18. For now, he continues to make history stateside with the Philadelphia Union.

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That was again the case for the homegrown prodigy on Thursday night when the now-16-year-old midfielder scored twice down the stretch of a 7-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago's Defence Force F.C. in Concacaf Champions Cup play.

In the process, he etched his name into the record books as America's youngest goalscorer in Champions Cup history and helped polish of a performance that secured a a 12-0 aggregate victory and sent the Union to the Round of 16, where they'll host Liga MX's Club América at Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania, on March 10 in the first leg of their next two-game series in the tournament.

The Champions Cup features clubs from North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. Winning it results in qualification for the Club World Cup.

As talented as Sullivan is, he had been held scoreless in his 19 previous outings for the Union. He came up with quite a way to end the drought.

"It means a lot," Sullivan said afterward, via the Union. "It took a long time in my eyes. I wish it happened sooner. But no, this is a special moment for me, the family and the team."

In addition to his brace, Sullivan also collected a pair of assists in Thursday's runaway win for a Union team that will play its MLS home opener on Sunday against New York City FC, which defeated Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference semifinals of the MLS Cup playoffs last season.

As for the 5-foot-7, 150-pound Sullivan, he notably helped the U.S. win the 2023 Concacaf U-15 Championship and earned Golden Ball honors as the best player in the tournament. 

Last season with the Union, though, he made only 13 appearances.

But he could be in for a much bigger 2026 campaign. Perhaps Thursday night was an indication of that progression.

"It’s another moment in the right direction," Union coach Bradley Carnell said, per The Associated Press.

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