Sullivan Brothers Lead Philadelphia Union To 4-1 Victory Over Toronto

Historic Night for the Sullivan Duo

Philadelphia Union earned a comfortable 4-1 victory against Toronto FC on Saturday to lock up an automatic spot in the MLS Cup playoffs. Brothers Cavan Sullivan and Quinn Sullivan both found the net during the home win.

They became only the third set of brothers to score for the same team in a single MLS match. They joined Gonzalo and Federico Higuain as well as Diego and Yimmi Chara on that list.

How the Match Unfolded

Cavan Sullivan opened the scoring in the 28th minute. Quinn Sullivan started the move with a cross in front of goal. Indiana Vassilev settled the ball and pulled Toronto goalkeeper William Yarbrough out of his area before passing to Cavan Sullivan for a finish into an empty net.

Quinn Sullivan made it 2-0 with a calm penalty kick in the 41st minute. Toronto FC pulled one goal back in first half stoppage time when Josh Sargent scored a header from a Djordje Mihailovic corner kick.

Philadelphia regained full control in the 58th minute. Bruno Damiani provided a flick header to Quinn Sullivan on a breakaway. Quinn then set up Cavan Sullivan for a one touch finish to make it 3-1. Damiani rounded off the victory with a penalty kick in the 73rd minute.

Strong Form and Playoff Spot

The victory sealed Philadelphia's tenth postseason appearance in club history and their eighth in the last nine seasons. The team finished sixth in the Eastern Conference with 50 points and a 14-12-8 record.

Interim head coach Ryan Richter has transformed the team since taking charge during the World Cup break. Under his leadership, Philadelphia earned 43 out of 57 possible points while outscoring opponents 48-22.

Seventeen year old Cavan Sullivan played a huge role in that run. His two goals extended his record for the most goal contributions by a teenager in a single MLS regular season to 23. He broke the previous mark of 20 set by Diego Fagundez in 2013. Last month, Cavan Sullivan also became the youngest scorer in United States men's national team history when he scored against Mexico.

Next Challenge Ahead

Toronto FC came into the game already eliminated from playoff contention with a 9-13-12 record. They were hoping for their first away win over Philadelphia since March 2019 but could not break their poor run.

Philadelphia will now face the third seed New England Revolution in a best of three first round playoff series. The game also featured a special moment late on when Philadelphia captain Alejandro Bedoya came on as a substitute for his final MLS regular season appearance.