Cavan Sullivan channels LeBron James celebration after scoring: MLS roundup — Vincent Janssen scores Timbers’ first MLS hat-trick
Embolo scores, Messi assists in charged match
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 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.
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.
Jonathan Wilson and Guardian journalists bring expert analysis and reporting on the biggest stories in soccer.