Philadelphia Union midfielder Cavan Sullivan became the youngest player in MLS history to record a five-match goal contribution streak on Saturday.
At 16 years and 342 days old, Sullivan scored in his third consecutive MLS match on Saturday when he tallied in the 75th minute of the Union’s 2-0 victory over CF Montreal. He has three goals and three assists during his past five league matches.
Sullivan’s 11 goal contributions (four goals, seven assists) on the season are the most ever by a 16-year-old in MLS history, eclipsing the mark set by Freddy Adu (four goals, six assists) in 2005.
So how did Sullivan celebrate his accomplishment? Well, by mimicking the newest superstar in Philadelphia, LeBron James, with the latter’s chalk toss.
“I was waiting to do that for a while,” Sullivan said of the celebration. “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 became the youngest player to debut in North American team sports history when he made his league debut against the New England Revolution on 17 July 2024. He was 14 years and 293 days old at the time, surpassing the mark set by Adu (14 years, 306 days). Adu set it for DC United in 2004.
Vincent Janssen nets first hat-trick in Timbers history as Portland wins 5-4 thriller
Vincent Janssen recorded the first regular-season hat-trick in the Portland Timbers’ MLS history to fuel a high-octane 5-4 victory over visiting Minnesota United on Saturday night.
Janssen scored in the 11th, 26th and 55th minutes in his first start for Portland. His final goal gave the Timbers the lead for good. Janssen, a Dutchman, was playing in his fourth match for the Timbers since being acquired via transfer from Belgian club Royal Antwerp in late July.
Josh Sargent nets hat-trick as Robert Lewandowski scores in Toronto FC and Chicago’s high-scoring draw
Toronto FC and the visiting Chicago Fire fought to a 4-4 draw on Saturday night.
Haitian international Derrick Etienne Jr tied the action-packed affair for Toronto in second-half stoppage time with a curling shot from the edge of the box.
Josh Sargent scored a hat-trick for Toronto, while Maren Haile-Selassie scored twice for the Fire, giving him four goals in his past three MLS matches. Robert Lewandowski contributed a goal and an assist for Chicago, while Djordje Mihailovic tallied two assists for Toronto.
Noah Allen and Johan Gomez made their Chicago debuts, as did Lewis Morgan for Toronto. Pereira, meanwhile, made his first start for Toronto since April. Both teams extended their unbeaten runs to six in MLS play.
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Haile-Selassie opened the scoring by retrieving the ball off a corner kick and blasting it in from just outside the box in the 13th minute. Toronto goalkeeper Luka Gavran made an acrobatic save off Philip Zinckernagel to force the corner.
Toronto’s designated players linked up for a speedy equalizer, Mihailovic feeding Sargent with a brilliantly placed ball over the top. TFC’s record signing sent Jack Elliott tumbling to the turf with a clever touch off his chest and blasted it past Brady in the 27th minute.
Sargent scored again after a failed Fire clearance in the 38th minute. The ball ricocheted off two defenders and fell into his path before he put Toronto ahead 2-1. He bagged his hat-trick in the 54th minute with a low, powerful attempt in the corner of goal to make it 3-2.
Lewandowski put the Fire ahead in the 63rd minute after Haile-Selassie cleverly allowed Zinckernagel’s cross to run through to the Polish star.
Breel Embolo scores, Messi assists as Atlanta United and Inter Miami draw
Breel Embolo converted a penalty kick in the 87th minute of his MLS debut to lift Atlanta United to a 2-2 draw against host Inter Miami on Saturday night.
Embolo, the Switzerland national team star Atlanta signed in late August, was tripped in the penalty box with time dwindling. Fourteen minutes after teammate Miguel Almirón could not convert a penalty, Embolo calmly delivered a goal inside the right post past Miami’s Dayne St Clair.
Embolo also had a look at a game-winner during stoppage time but missed high.
Lionel Messi had one assist but was held scoreless one game after his first four-goal performance in MLS. He took consecutive attempts on net in the seventh minute of second-half stoppage, but the first was saved and the second deflected out of bounds by Junior Alonso.
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