Cavan Sullivan Is Turning Philadelphia's Leagues Cup Into His Audition
Nathan Harriel had the ball in the net inside three minutes, and by the 12th, Bruno Damiani had made it 2-0. Necaxa never really recovered, and Philadelphia Union closed out a 3-1 win at Subaru Park on Sunday that said far more about this team than the scoreline alone suggests.
The obvious headline is the start. Harriel finished a quick Union counterattack for the opener, assisted by Cavan Sullivan, then turned provider nine minutes later, sending in the cross that Damiani redirected past Necaxa's goalkeeper, according to Philadelphia Union's own match recap. Two goals in 12 minutes against a Liga MX side that had opened its Leagues Cup campaign with a loss to Chicago Fire is the kind of start that ends a contest before halftime. It did.
But the sharper story sits in the 53rd minute.
The Sullivan Question
Cavan Sullivan met a service from Indiana Vassilev and finished with a powerful volley to make it 3-0, per the club's own account of the match. It capped a night in which the 16-year-old recorded a goal and an assist, according to MLSSoccer.com. That is not a novelty stat line anymore. Since interim manager Ryan Richter took over the Union, the club has gone 4-1-0 across all competitions, and Sullivan has taken on a bigger role in that stretch than he had under previous manager Bradley Carnell, MLSSoccer.com reported.
Richter was careful not to get ahead of himself when asked about Sullivan's international future. "Whatever comes in the next window, or the next one after that, that part is the job of US Soccer, and our job is to keep pushing Cavan to raise his level so that he is considered for that," he said, per MLSSoccer.com. It's a measured answer, but the subtext isn't subtle. Philadelphia's interim coach is building his team around a player who won't turn 17 until next year.
Necaxa, for their part, never found a foothold. Julián Carranza, the former Union striker now playing in Mexico, could not change the pattern from the other side. Matías Espíndola pulled one back in the 79th minute, but the result was long decided by then. The loss eliminated Necaxa from Leagues Cup contention after a second straight defeat to MLS opposition, according to LeaguesCup.com's recap.
What Philadelphia showed on Sunday wasn't really about Necaxa. It was about a young player who keeps producing in moments that matter, and a coaching staff that has stopped treating that as a surprise. The Union close out Phase One on Thursday, August 13, hosting Santos Laguna at Subaru Park, with a place in the knockout rounds still on the table.
