Cavan Sullivan has become the youngest finalist in the history of the Landon Donovan MLS MVP award and the first teenager ever to make the shortlist. The 17-year-old Philadelphia Union midfielder was confirmed as a finalist on Thursday, joining Lionel Messi, Hany Mukhtar, Guilherme and Evander among the five nominees.
Sullivan has scored nine goals and added 14 assists this season. He only became a consistent first-team starter in late May, shortly before the World Cup, and has played 1,828 minutes out of a possible 3,060, starting 21 of 34 games. By comparison, the other finalists have all comfortably exceeded that playing-time mark.
Despite the shortlisting, Messi remains the favorite to win the award, with his statistical output still ahead of Sullivan's across the season.
A Season With Setbacks
Sullivan's rise has not been entirely smooth. A minor ankle injury kept him out of two games in late October, and he was forced off after a heavy challenge in a match against Toronto on the final day of the regular season, a game in which he scored twice.
Earlier in the year, under then-manager Bradley Carnell, Sullivan found himself out of favor and on the bench as the Union struggled for results. That changed after a managerial switch to Bradley Richter, who has coached Sullivan since he could walk.
The April Comments
In April, Sullivan made headlines for his ambitions, saying, "I wanna be a Ballon d'Or contender. I wanna win it. I want to be the best player in the world," before adding, "If you think it's too much of a pipe dream, I don't really care."
Playoffs Ahead
The Union are now in the playoffs, though they have been inconsistent through the campaign. They lost 2-1 to New England Revolution at the end of October, the same team they now face in the first round of the postseason as the No. 3 seed in the East.
Sullivan is due to join Manchester City when he turns 18.
