Cavan Sullivan felt his own performance in the Philadelphia Union's win over the Chicago Fire was "terrible", but the teenage sensation still made a piece of MLS history on Wednesday.
Sullivan laments 'terrible' display but MLS record falls to teenager as Union beat Fire
Despite being unhappy with his own performance, Cavan Sullivan broke an MLS record as the Philadelphia Union's winning run continued.
By assisting the first of two goals for Bruno Damiani in the Union's 3-1 win at Soldier Field, the 17-year-old broke the MLS single-season goal involvements record by a teenager.
Having tied Diego Fagundez's 2013 mark of 20 goal involvements for the New England Revolution in Philadelphia's previous match, Sullivan now has 21 (seven goals and 14 assists) in 2026, the outright most by any teenager in a campaign.
But the United States' breakout star felt he could have done better on a personal level, having failed to score from four shots and only managed a 75% passing accuracy (28/47).
"I was sort of terrible tonight, so I'm not really focused on any records or stats like that, to be honest," Sullivan said.
"I'm happy with the win, but I've got to look in the mirror and watch some film and see what I have to do better. I'm not really happy with my performance, but it's a great win."
But the Union's interim coach, Ryan Richter, was far more positive in his outlook, saying: "It seems like every week, something else is popping up for him. I'm so happy for him.
"A big emphasis for him is to continue to be decisive in games, and when he's chipping in with goals and assists the way that he has over this last stretch, he's making the difference.
"His work rate has been great, his creativity has been great, but now he's being really decisive. He has been for a long stretch now, so he deserves that, and we're proud of him."
Having won eight straight games, the Union are sixth in the Eastern Conference and boast a nine-point cushion to the teams outside the automatic playoff places.
With just five regular-season games to go, they need a maximum of seven points to clinch a round-one berth, while even four points would guarantee them a wild-card spot.
In the Western Conference, St. Louis City guaranteed their playoff place by rewriting league history.
Though they were held to a goalless draw by the Vancouver Whitecaps, St. Louis have now gone 19 regular-season games without defeat since May 3, equalling the all-time record, which is now held jointly by four teams.
The Columbus Crew in 2004 and 2005, FC Dallas in 2010, and Inter Miami in 2024 and 2025, all previously enjoyed 19-match unbeaten streaks in the regular season.
St Louis' 21-match unbeaten streak in all competitions, meanwhile, is the longest ever managed by an MLS team, surpassing the New York Red Bulls' 20-game run in 2016.
Head coach Yoann Damet said: "It's more than a number. It's the pride in working so hard to create that momentum and to sustain it and to show consistency.
"I think this is one of the hardest things to do in sport at the professional level. There is a reason why it's never been done before."
