Quinn Sullivan shines for the Union while younger brother Cavan commands headlines

Fans who attended the Union reserve team’s season opener two weekends ago might have noticed an unusual sight.

Yes, that was Quinn Sullivan in line at the concession stand, paying for his snacks just like anyone else — despite being on just a few hours of sleep after returning from a Union first-team game in Austin. And that was him in the seats with his brother, Cavan, down by the benches instead of up in a suite.

A week later, Quinn was back for another reserve-team game, again a bit short on sleep after the first team’s overnight flight back from Portland. This time, 14-year-old Cavan was on the field for his Union II debut, a moment widely anticipated from Chester to Manchester, England.

But while Cavan has made the family’s biggest headlines this season, he hasn’t made the only ones. Quinn, 20, has made many of his own, playing in all eight of the Union first team’s games. He has two goals and two assists, including a quick-thinking strike for the second tally in Saturday’s 3-1 upset of the Timbers.

“It’s going about as good as I could have predicted,” Sullivan told The Inquirer after Tuesday’s practice. “The season as a whole has been good so far, but we’re only eight games in.”

» READ MORE: How the Union pulled off one of their most unexpected wins ever, 3-1 at Portland

The number eight also comes up in the context of Sullivan’s position: a central midfield role that he has long wanted but couldn’t get because Alejandro Bedoya commanded it. Now Sullivan is the starter and Bedoya, who turns 37 next month, is the substitute.

“I feel super-comfortable there,” Sullivan said. “It’s a spot that I’ve been eyeing for a while. I’m really happy to have gotten it, and I’ve been working really well on my positioning.”

No one would claim he’s a defensive enforcer yet, but the Portland game showed he is indeed improving. It was an enormous effort by the entire team, with just 14 field players available since the game was during a FIFA window.

“I mean, listen, we knew we weren’t necessarily the favorites heading into it, but we don’t really care about that,” Sullivan said. “We always say that the only people that have to believe are the people in the room, and I think we went out there and we proved that we can do it even with a smaller roster.”

Then it was time to celebrate Cavan, including his highlight-reel assist on the winning goal.

» READ MORE: Cavan Sullivan, 14, debuts for the Union’s reserve team with a game-winning assist

“It was a truly amazing experience — I’m really happy to have been there for him,” Quinn said. “No one got to see my debut, because I was out in Pittsburgh getting smacked. But it was a really proud moment for me, for the whole family. Everyone was there watching.”

He wasn’t kidding about that Pittsburgh game. It was a 6-0 loss in the Steel City on July 18, 2020, back when the Union’s reserves played in the USL Championship.

Sullivan is amply aware of the spotlight around his brother, and the entire family. But like the rest of them, he says he’s able to block it out.

“We all try and block it out,” he said. “I mean, you’re going to see some things here and there. But it’s exciting for him as his older brother — it’s exciting to see that people are noticing, because he’s put a lot of work in.”

Quinn did at least see Cavan’s postgame interview with The Inquirer on Sunday, as he brought it up unprompted.

“For me, it’s great to see, but for him we try and — you know, he said it in his interview with you, you’ve got to block that out,” Quinn said. “He’s got to focus on him and keep getting better. Can’t let that affect him.”

Though the family isn’t officially commenting until the deal is fully done, an outsider might think it has to be frustrating when false or misleading information makes the rounds.

Even one misplaced word can set off a streak of headlines — such as the idea that Cavan Sullivan made his professional debut for the Union’s reserves on Sunday. It was a professional-level game, but Cavan is not officially a professional yet. He’s playing as an amateur, which the rules of MLS’s reserve league allow.

The semantics especially matter in this case. If Sullivan goes straight to Manchester City’s parent company when he turns 16 late next year, the Union will lose out on the multimillion-dollar transfer fee they’d have gotten if he’d turn pro here before moving abroad.

A failure to convince the most talented prospect in Union history to turn pro with the team that has developed him, even if he’s only here a short time, would be a big black eye for the organization.

The public doesn’t know everything yet, but the family surely does. If something they know is wrong gets out there, is it harder to block that out?

“No, not at all,” Quinn said. “When you see all the things out there — there’s certainly a lot of things — when you block all of it out and you ignore all of it, it’s not any harder or any easier.”

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