Soccer
For weeks, Cavan Sullivan had been waiting for the right moment to throw some chalk into the air. On Saturday night, the 16-year-old finally got it — and picked a record-breaking night to do it.
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Sullivan scored in the 75th minute as the Philadelphia Union beat CF Montréal 2-0 at Subaru Park, pushing his 2026 MLS total to four goals and seven assists. That gave him 11 goal contributions, the most ever by a 16-year-old in MLS, breaking Freddy Adu’s mark of 10 set in 2005.
Then came the LeBron James tribute.
“I was waiting to do that for a while. 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 ran toward team photographer Kim Ahrens, who had been carrying the chalk for him, before throwing it into the air in a nod to James’ famous pregame ritual. The celebration came only weeks after James joined the Philadelphia 76ers, giving Sullivan a chance to welcome the city’s newest sports superstar in his own way.
“I was in the box and that’s where things happen.”
The goal also continued a remarkable run for Sullivan. It was his third straight MLS match with a goal, while he has now recorded a goal contribution in five consecutive league games. He is the youngest player and first teenager in MLS history to put together a five-game goal-contribution streak.
That five-game run has produced three goals and three assists, with Sullivan’s recent goals coming against Austin, the New York Red Bulls and Montréal.
The record also adds another chapter to his connection with Adu. In 2005, Adu finished his age-16 MLS season with four goals and six assists in 25 appearances. That 10-goal-contribution mark stood for more than two decades before Sullivan moved past it.
Sullivan had already broken another Adu benchmark in 2024, when he became the youngest player to appear in an MLS match at 14 years and 293 days. Adu had held that record at 14 years and 306 days since 2004.
But Sullivan’s rise is taking place in a very different setting. He signed the largest homegrown contract in MLS history in 2024, and his pathway already includes a pre-arranged transfer to Manchester City when he turns 18. His current form is giving another reason to watch how quickly that path develops.
That is where the LeBron comparison started to catch Philadelphia fans’ attention.
Soccer Sullivan’s record night gives the LeBron tribute a bigger meaning
The celebration was funny and recognizable, but the timing made it more than a simple imitation of LeBron. Sullivan had just broken one of the most notable teenage records in American soccer, and he did it while helping a Philadelphia team that has completely changed its season.
“Our future LeBron James of soccer,” one fan wrote.
The comparison is obviously about more than Sullivan copying James’ chalk toss. LeBron arrived in Philadelphia in July on a two-year deal worth about $8 million, creating one of the biggest sports stories in the city. Sullivan, meanwhile, is 16 and already becoming one of the Union’s most important players during their turnaround.
That contrast made the celebration easy for fans to latch onto: Philadelphia had just welcomed one of the biggest names in basketball, while its soccer team was watching a teenager create a story of his own.
“Bigger than LeBron,” commented another fan.
The hype around Sullivan also has something concrete behind it. His 11 MLS goal contributions have already taken him past Adu’s 10 from 2005, while his five-game goal-contribution streak is another teenage MLS record.
He is not simply having a few good games, either. Sullivan’s production has arrived during a major change in the Union’s season.
“On his way to Klutch,” a third comment read.
The joke picked up on the LeBron connection, but Sullivan’s actual career path is already moving toward a different kind of next step. His agreement with Manchester City means his development is being watched with a European future already attached to it.
The move is not imminent. Sullivan is still with Philadelphia, and the pre-arranged transfer is for when he turns 18. But at 16, producing at a record pace in MLS gives more weight to the decision that was made when the Union committed to him with a record homegrown deal.
“He’s so good,” a fourth fan wrote.
There is also a team reason for the excitement around Sullivan. Philadelphia started the season badly and eventually parted ways with Bradley Carnell, but the Union have since gone eight games unbeaten, winning six and drawing two. Sullivan has been a key contributor during that run.
He summed up the change himself after the Montréal win.
“Coming off that terrible first part of the year, where we felt like we couldn’t get any points, and now it’s eight unbeaten. It wasn’t a pretty game, but winning ugly is huge.”
That run has pushed Philadelphia into the Eastern Conference playoff picture, turning Sullivan’s personal form into something that matters for the club as well.
“Yeah, this dude is electric,” a fifth fan commented.
There is plenty of reason for that feeling. Sullivan’s five-game contribution streak has come with three goals and three assists, while Saturday’s goal gave him a record that had belonged to Adu for 21 years.
His connection with LeBron only adds another layer to a breakout that was already becoming difficult to ignore.
Sullivan even had a message for Philadelphia’s newest star after the celebration.
“We gotta get him to strike the drum. Follow me back on Instagram.”
He also explained why James became the inspiration in the first place.
“He’s rumoured he is a soccer fan.”
And Sullivan’s invitation to James was as Philadelphia as the celebration itself:
“LeBron, this place is dope. No arena is like Subaru Park.”
The chalk may have been a tribute to LeBron, but the night belonged to Sullivan. At 16, he has now moved past two of Adu’s teenage MLS benchmarks, helped the Union put together their longest unbeaten run of the season and put together a five-game run that no teenager in league history had managed before.
The LeBron celebration got the attention. The records are what make the moment worth remembering.
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