Арван зургаан настай авьяаслаг тоглогч Сан-Диегогийн талбайд хоёр гоол оруулж, Филадельфия Юнион багийн 5-0 харьцаатай ялалтад гол үүрэг гүйцэтгэлээ.
Ням гарагт болсон тоглолтын эхний хагасын төгсгөлд Каван Салливан уран гоол оруулж багтаа тэргүүлэл авчирсан бол 61 дэх минутад дахин нэг гоол хийж дубль толилууллаа. Тэрээр сүүлийн найман тоглолтод 11 гоолд оролцоод байгаа бөгөөд Филадельфия Юнион багийн довтолгооны гол хөдөлгүүр болж байна. Салливан мөн Бруно Дамианигийн оруулсан гурав дахь гоолын эхлэлийг тавьж, тоглолтын туршид талбайн бүхий л хэсэгт өндөр бүтээмжтэй тоглолт үзүүлсэн юм.
Энэхүү амжилттай тоглолтынхоо ачаар Салливан АНУ-ын шигшээ багийн дасгалжуулагч Маурисио Почеттиногийн бүрэлдэхүүнд багтаж, ирэх өдрүүдэд болох бэлтгэл болон нөхөрсөг тоглолтуудад оролцох хүчтэй нэр дэвшигч болоод байна. Тэрээр ирэх жил 18 нас хүрэхдээ Манчестер Сити багт нэгдэх хуваарьтай байгаа бөгөөд одоогоор лигийнхээ хамгийн шилдэг довтлогчдын нэгээр нэрлэгдэж байна.
Филадельфия Юнион багийн хувьд лигийн завсарлагааны дараах 10 тоглолтод хожигдолгүй, найман хожил, хоёр тэнцээтэй амжилт үзүүлж, плей-оффын бүсэд багтаж чадлаа. Тэд сүүлийн дөрвөн тоглолтод дараалан ялалт байгуулаад байгаа нь багийн тогтвортой, хүчирхэг тоглолтыг илтгэж байна.
Дэлгэрэнгүйг эх сурвалжаас харах
↓Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
Cavan Sullivan put on another show Sunday night in San Diego with two more goals, including his flashiest yet in MLS.
Sullivan, still two weeks shy of his 17th birthday, scored with an instinctive back-flick late in the first half and propelled the Philadelphia Union to a second straight 5-0 victory.
It was Sullivan’s fifth consecutive game with a goal contribution. And the highlight-reel goal was only the start. In the second half, he showed that he is far more than flicks and tricks. With a wonderfully timed run off the left wing, he darted into the penalty box and doubled Philadelphia’s lead with an emphatic finish in the 61st minute.
That was his 11th goal contribution in eight games, dating back to a Leagues Cup win over Necaxa last month.
CAVAN SULLIVAN BACKHEEL?! 😲
The 16-year-old gives @PhilaUnion the lead in San Diego just before halftime! pic.twitter.com/oSvyKnvfRp
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) September 14, 2026
Now he’s nutmegged the keeper 😳
Cavan Sullivan gets his brace in style for @PhilaUnion! pic.twitter.com/IjinRebcch
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) September 14, 2026
Just a few months ago, Sullivan had not yet earned back-to-back MLS starts. Now, he’s a primary catalyst for the hottest team in the league, and is proving why he’s the most-hyped American men’s soccer prospect in at least a decade.
In fact, he is no longer just a prospect. Sullivan is not merely doing things that no 16-year-old in MLS ever has. He is not only good for a teenager. Over the past month, he’s been one of the very best attackers in the entire league, irrespective of age.
Nominally, he’s been starting as a right winger, but he ventures all over the field to find the ball and influence the game. He is audacious and sufficiently arrogant, as he’s been for years; but he’s also learning to play simple passes when situations call for them.
Less than six minutes after his second goal, he made a play that was arguably more impressive than his flick. He carried the ball infield, and slowed up, almost lulling San Diego’s weary defense to sleep; then he beat them with a lofted through-ball to Frankie Westfield, who picked out Bruno Damiani for the Union’s third.
The @PhilaUnion are lighting it up! ⚡
Cavan Sullivan sets up the play, finished off by Bruno Damiani to make it 3-0.
📺 Watch on Apple TV: https://t.co/BhENRIgp5c pic.twitter.com/GjxUsZK7AC
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) September 14, 2026
Sullivan, who will join Manchester City when he turns 18 next year, has long been regarded in American soccer circles as a player with peerless potential. After struggling to get on first-team fields in his first two years as a pro, he is suddenly taking the league by storm.
And the U.S. men’s national team could be next. Sullivan is a strong candidate to receive his first call-up when USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino names his roster this week for a September-October training camp and friendlies against Peru, Chile, Mexico and Canada.
Sullivan would not quite be the youngest player to ever appear for the U.S. senior team, but he could still be the youngest to score. He is now on a trajectory similar to that of Christian Pulisic.
The Union, meanwhile, are on fire. After winning just one MLS match before the league’s World Cup break, they are unbeaten since the season resumed, with eight wins and two draws in 10 games. Now on a second four-game winning streak in that span, they have played their way into a playoff position.
