Philadelphia Union starlet Cavan Sullivan continued his remarkable rise through MLS on Saturday, becoming the youngest player in league history to record a goal contribution in five consecutive matches during a 2-0 win over CF Montreal.
Aged 16 years and 342 days, Sullivan struck in the 75th minute to extend his hot streak, which now reads three goals and three assists across his last five appearances. For the season, he has racked up 11 goal contributions in total — four goals and seven assists — the most ever produced by a 16-year-old in MLS history. That tally surpasses the previous benchmark of four goals and six assists set by Freddy Adu back in 2005.
Sullivan marked the moment with a nod to Philadelphia's newest sporting celebrity, basketball icon LeBron James, replicating his signature chalk-toss celebration. "I was waiting to do that for a while," Sullivan said afterward. "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."
Sullivan already holds the distinction of being the youngest player ever to debut in a major North American team sport, having taken the field for the Union against the New England Revolution on 17 July 2024 at just 14 years and 293 days old — again eclipsing a record previously held by Adu.
Elsewhere in a wild night of MLS action, Vincent Janssen delivered a historic performance for the Portland Timbers, scoring the club's first regular-season hat-trick as Portland edged Minnesota United 5-4. The Dutch forward, making just his fourth appearance for the club since arriving from Belgian side Royal Antwerp in late July, found the net in the 11th, 26th and 55th minutes — his third goal proving decisive in front of the home crowd.
Toronto FC and Chicago Fire also served up a thriller, sharing the points in a 4-4 draw that saw two more hat-tricks and a Robert Lewandowski contribution. Josh Sargent was the star for Toronto, netting three times, while Chicago's Maren Haile-Selassie scored twice to take his tally to four goals in his last three league outings. Lewandowski added a goal and an assist for the visitors, and Djordje Mihailovic supplied two assists for the hosts.
Haile-Selassie broke the deadlock in the 13th minute, pouncing after Toronto goalkeeper Luka Gavran had been forced into an acrobatic save from a corner. Toronto hit back quickly through Sargent, who was picked out by Mihailovic before finishing smartly in the 27th minute. He added a second in the 38th minute following a scrambled Chicago clearance, then completed his treble with a low finish in the 54th minute to put Toronto 3-2 up. Lewandowski restored parity for Chicago in the 63rd minute, converting after Haile-Selassie let a Philip Zinckernagel cross run through to him, before Haitian international Derrick Etienne Jr salvaged a point for Toronto with a curling effort deep into stoppage time. Both sides stretched their unbeaten runs to six matches, with Noah Allen, Johan Gomez and Lewis Morgan all making their debuts for their respective clubs.
In Miami, Breel Embolo made an instant impact on his Atlanta United debut, converting a stoppage-time penalty in the 87th minute to earn his side a 2-2 draw against Inter Miami. The Switzerland international, signed in late August, scored 14 minutes after teammate Miguel Almirón had missed from the spot, and nearly grabbed a winner moments later before seeing a late chance sail over the bar. Lionel Messi provided an assist but could not add to his goal tally, one match removed from his first four-goal outing in MLS, with two late attempts in second-half stoppage time failing to find the net.
Based on reporting from Guardian Football.