Photo: Ron Soliman
I have never seen Cavan Sullivan (age 14) play soccer, and (almost certainly) neither have you.
Quinn's younger brother, Sullivan, is a member of Union's academy. He trained with Union II during the preseason and made his (brief) pro debut last weekend. He has been impressed with his U-15 team in the United States and his academy team in the Union at international tournaments.
He was born just two months before the Philadelphia Soccer Page.
But all of a sudden, he was part of world football. Rumors have been circulating in recent months about where he will sign and whether he will spend some time with Union's first team before the inevitable move to Europe. The headline calls him “Wonder Kid.”
The news arrived yesterday. The Union and Premier League powerhouse Manchester City have “agreed to a contract with an emphasis on add-ons, including the following:”[ing] Sullivan will head to England when he turns 18 (he does not have a British passport and cannot play in England until he turns 18).
Sullivan is also expected to sign the richest homegrown contract in MLS history, and will play for the Union until he turns 18, unless “his development outgrows MLS” by then. In that case he will be transferred to the “City Football Group” team (hello) somewhere in Europe while waiting for his 18th birthday.
This is a huge deal for Union, who will benefit on and off the pitch from a highly regarded talent from the club's academy.
And this is a big deal for Sullivan, as the golden path to superstardom is now laid out at his feet.
(Quick disclaimer: I briefly worked at the same law firm as Cavan and Quinn's mother, Haike Sullivan. We were technically colleagues, but not in the same department. (I don't know if I've ever met her.)
But while this agreement is something to celebrate, Union fans, USMNT fans, and all of the surrounding media members have some level of uncertainty about what it means for a 14-year-old to sign this type of agreement. I hope I can keep perspective.
Potential is just that: potential, even potential that has been noticed by one of the biggest clubs in the world.
And in the history of soccer, there are many young genius players who have fallen far short of lofty predictions.
Consider Union legend Freddie Adu. He signed for DC United at the age of 14 and retired from football by the age of 30, playing for around 14 teams along the way.
Or how about former USMNT contender Gedion Zelalem? He made a name for himself at the age of 16 with his eye-catching displays for Arsene Wenger's Arsenal. However, he never broke into Arsenal's first team, suffering injuries and tragedy and now plying his trade in the Dutch second division. (Art de Roche wrote a great article about Zelalem earlier this year.)
Even those who say do You may take a winding path to get there. Martin Odegaard played for Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Arsenal at the age of 15 before finally signing for Real Madrid. He is now one of the best midfielders in the world, but it took him nearly a decade to reach that level. He spent time in the reserve team and on loan before moving to Arsenal, where he found a club and a manager who believed in him.
The frank fact that there are very few 'wonder kids' who reach their full potential has not stopped the larger football world's obsession with up-and-coming players. And look, you can see why. Fans and media are always looking for the next big thing. their team or their country To become the person who creates the next Lionel Messi. After all, a shapeless lump of clay can become anything.
But that often means placing an incredible burden on the shoulders of very young men and women.
That weight creates pressure, and pressure can make it difficult for players to get their careers on the right track.
As an example, yesterday my friend Jonathan Tannenwald suggested that Sullivan would have been “in big trouble” if he hadn't signed with the Union.That choice would have caused “the amount of money teams spend developing top young talent.” [to] “Flame'' and “may have given power.'' [other American prospects] To blow away the local club. ”
These are significant risks — The future of the Philadelphia Union's overall player development system — riding on the shoulders of young people who still have years to learn how to drive.
It's not fair to put so much emphasis on Cavan Sullivan.
It's also unfair to ask him to be a superstar the moment he steps on the field wearing Union blue.
I'm not telling fans and media not to get excited about a talented prospect. I want Cavan Sullivan to succeed, just like I want Quinn Sullivan, Jack McGlynn and Nathan Harriel to succeed. It would be great if he could reach the highest heights of world football.
I hope we can all keep some perspective.
When Cavan Sullivan takes the field in Union blue for the first time, he will be taking his first steps, his very first steps. We all wish him a long and happy career.
The best way to help him get there is to be realistic about how far he has to go.
