Is Cavan Sullivan really that good? Here’s what to know about the Union academy and its teen phenom.

Cavan Sullivan is one of the biggest names Philly sports fans might not know (yet), but they definitely should pay attention to the 14-year-old soccer prodigy.

His home club, the Philadelphia Union, put pen to paper on a contract that secures Sullivan’s future stays in his hometown for at least three seasons before an eventual departure to English Premier League giant Manchester City. The Union and Man City brokered a deal that will introduce Sullivan to European soccer when he turns 18 — a waiting period because of work visa restrictions for minors.

Philly can be proud because, if there was ever a living embodiment of the term homegrown, Sullivan is its latest descriptor.

So who is this kid? Where did he come from, and why should you care? Inquirer soccer writers Kerith Gabriel and Jonathan Tannenwald bring you up to speed.

It almost was impossible for Sullivan not to live up to his pedigree before his 16th birthday. His grandfather, Larry, is Northeast Philly soccer royalty, having starred at the now-defunct North Catholic High School in the 1960s before playing at Temple. But Sullivan is known for his coaching prowess, serving as the head coach at St. Joseph’s, Father Judge High School, and Camden Catholic, which preceded his 17-year stint as the head coach at Villanova.

Cavan’s father, Brendan, also was a player. He now is a teacher at YSC Academy and runs Xtra Time, a Conshohocken-based soccer school.

“I was thrilled with Cav’s decision to decide to start his career here, play with his brother, drive in every day with his brother, live in the house for a couple more years,” he said. “19124, 19137, those were our zip codes [in the city]. We were bought in through birthright, for better or for worse.”

» READ MORE: Why Cavan Sullivan, hyped as the world’s best 14-year-old soccer player, chose to turn pro with the Union

Cavan’s uncle is Chris Albright, a Philly-area native who was a member of the U.S. men’s national team and played for multiple Major League Soccer teams, including the Union, where he later became the technical director for seven years before departing for the general manager job at FC Cincinnati.

Cavan’s brother, Quinn Sullivan, is a current midfielder on the Union, making these two the second brother duo to play for the Union since Medford, N.J., natives Brenden and Paxten Aaronson. — KG

It’s unknown when he’ll debut with the first team, but all signs point to the start of MLS’s upstart Leagues Cup tournament in July, which would provide an opportunity for even more exposure than games during the regular season. The Leagues Cup, which pits MLS clubs and teams from Mexico’s Liga MX together for a chance to gain entrance into the larger Concacaf Champions Cup, already was a draw for fans but gained immense popularity after it became the introduction to Lionel Messi playing on American soil with Inter Miami FC.

The Leagues Cup being an offshoot of the MLS regular season also allows key players to get rest while providing an opportunity — at least in the early stages — for players who might not get sizable minutes during the season. In short, exposure and a need for a more versatile roster make this tournament the perfect stage to introduce the wunderkind. — KG

» READ MORE: ‘Cavan is special’: Union’s Ernst Tanner says Cavan Sullivan is one of the best he’s ever seen

Here’s how I’d put it, having watched him play for the Union’s reserves and youth teams. He’s 14 years old, and we just can’t forget that at any point along the way here. There’s nothing new about teenage prospects who don’t live up to the hype, just as there’s nothing new about teenage prospects who do.

Having said that, for what he is right now, yeah, he’s really good. You don’t just walk into your first reserve team game as a substitute, when you’re clearly younger than everyone else on the field, and put the game-winning assist on a dime 25 minutes later.

The best part of what Sullivan gains from turning pro with the Union is time. He’ll play here, but the Union won’t rush him or try to burden him with too many expectations. He’ll get to live at home with his family, grow up, then show off when he’s ready. And when he is, we’ll all see it. — JT

» READ MORE: Cavan Sullivan wants ‘to win the World Cup with the USA’

The Union run their own youth soccer teams for kids as young as 8 years old, partly to grow the game and partly to look for the area’s best prospects. Things get serious at the under-12 age level, when the Union start picking the cream of the crop. From then on, the Union’s teams play against other MLS clubs’ teams and other major youth teams across the region and nation.

The under-15 and under-17 teams are really big-time. They play against not just American clubs, but international clubs on foreign tours and in big tournaments like the Generation Adidas Cup, which the Union’s under-17s have won two years in a row.

Now here’s the kicker (sorry). In 2013, the Union launched their own full-time high school for their very best prospects, called YSC Academy. A lot of the famous homegrown players you’ve seen at Subaru Park over the years — the Aaronsons, Quinn and Cavan Sullivan, Jack McGlynn, Mark McKenzie, and more — came through the school.

Those players turned pro straight out of the school — in some cases, even before graduating. Their classmates who didn’t turn pro right away went to college in places as big as the Big Ten, ACC, and the Ivy League. And the way MLS rules work, even though the league has a college draft, those players are exempt from it, and the Union keep their rights.

The Union’s academy is so good at this that players from other parts of the country now want to join it. McGlynn came from New York City, and David Vazquez came from Los Angeles. — JT

» READ MORE: Inside the Union’s controversial recruitment of top prospect David Vazquez

Yes, really. College soccer players still make it to MLS, whether or not they came through teams’ youth academies, and the league has a draft for them. But college sports aren’t really a thing in the rest of the world like they are here.

Big teams in Europe, South America, and Africa develop their players in their own youth academies, and that’s it. It took MLS a while to get on board with doing it that way, but it has, and it has gotten good at it. Honestly, it’s the best thing the league does, even if Messi gets all the attention.

Imagine something like this happening in basketball: the 76ers running their own AAU squad and a high school, developing those kids, and keeping their pro rights, even if they go to Villanova or Temple for a few years. There wouldn’t have been a “Villanova Knicks” situation like there was this … ah, it’s too soon, isn’t it. — JT

» READ MORE: For Jim Curtin, Cavan Sullivan signing with the Union is a ‘full-circle moment’

Money. And in the case of Cavan Sullivan, potentially millions. Unlike America’s pay-to-play model when it comes to youth sports, specifically in the case of travel soccer, in the academy — while parents still pay — the idea is that a top MLS academy team like the Union’s is developing talent desirable to top clubs in Europe and elsewhere, where teams have the cash to splash at the ready for young talent.

Not only does the team get paid when one of its players leaves to sign a big European contract, but it could get a cut of every future deal he signs, making players like Sullivan valuable beyond what he can contribute while wearing a Union kit. — KG

» READ MORE: Union owner Jay Sugarman believes Cavan Sullivan can be a long-sought homegrown breakout star