It’s been a bit of whirlwind week for Cavan Sullivan, the 14-year-old Union Academy star who seemed to be all but gone to greener pastures before a report from The Athletic stated an agreement in place that would keep him with the Union until age 18. Cavan made his MLS Next Pro debut on Sunday and had an assist on the game winner. With the Generation adidas Cup coming this weekend, the spotlight will be burning even brighter for the young talent.

In the email today:

1. 🐍 Good News on the Cavan Sullivan Front?

By Joe Lister

Philadelphia Union academy standout Cavan Sullivan is set to stay in Philadelphia until a move to Manchester City at 18 years old, according to a report in The Athletic.

Sullivan was previously expected to move to Manchester earlier and be loaned out until age 18, but the recent decision will allow the Union to benefit from the youngster’s talent and reap a sell-on percentage and other financial benefits from Man City.

The Athletic, among others, previously reported that the 14-year-old Sullivan was nearing an agreement with Manchester to move to Belgium side Lommel SK, a member of City Football Group, at 16. After time in Belgium, Sullivan was supposed to move to Manchester City’s first team.

Sullivan is not guaranteed to stay with Philadelphia through his 18th birthday. The Athletic reported that should his talent exceed MLS competition before he is set to move to Manchester, the City Football Group may move Sullivan to a higher-level European club.

Sullivan made his debut with the Union II team over the weekend, registering an assist off the bench with his first-team brother, Quinn, in attendance.

Sullivan is viewed as one of the top young talents in the nation and has been sought after by a number of European clubs. He briefly trialed with Borussia Dortmund and has frequently earned call-ups to the U.S. Youth National Team.

Sullivan’s trajectory with the Union is currently uncertain, as the Union haven’t revealed any plans to sign Sullivan to a senior team contract. However, per the Inquirer‘s Jonathan Tannenwald, the club did offer Sullivan one of the largest homegrown contracts in MLS history to convince him to stay in Philadelphia.

2. 🇯🇲 Damion Lowe's Reggae Boyz Milestone

When Damion Lowe started for Jamaica in the Concacaf Nations League third place game on Sunday he earned his 62nd international cap, a number of significance for both player and family, according to a tweet sent by the Jamaica federation’s account.

Onandi Lowe played for Jamaica from 1994-2005 and had a long career playing in the U.S., England and Jamaica. A career highlight was representing Jamaica in the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

There is some discrepancy around how many national team appearances he made (Transfermarkt has 75, Wikipedia has 65) but no matter the number it’s quite a family legacy for both father and son.

3. 📣 Tweet of the Day: Dated Sounders Video

4. 💧 Water Cooler: CB Pairing

5. 🔗 Link Roundup

• Matthew DeGeorge has a Delco Times column on the Union “turning the page” with the win in Portland.

• Union head coach Jim Curtin has been named National Sports Advisor for L.E.A.D. (Law Enforcement Against Drugs & Violence).

• Union II plays Chicago Fire II tonight in Bridgeview, Illinois and they will debut new away jerseys.

• Olivier Giroud could be heading to MLS this summer. To LAFC, of course.

• The owner of NPSL expansion team New Jersey United has history on the college gridiron.

• If you didn’t get one of the US Open Cup posters we gave out last week (or if you want a higher quality larger version) you can order them in the Printify shop.

Visit the MLSStore to shop for Union gear.

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