Photo: Kyle Grantham

Early Monday evening, Quinn Sullivan posted to his Instagram that he has torn his ACL, ending his 2025 campaign.

 

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An unfortunate occurrence for all parties involved, Sullivan’s injury forces him out after a promising season – two goals and seven assists in just under 2,000 minutes played in MLS play. The twenty-one year old is a pivotal piece of Bradley Carnell’s front line in leading the press, and his presence will be missed on the Union’s quest for the Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup in 2025.

The overall recovery timeline is unclear at the moment, but this likely puts Sullivan’s outside shot at a 2026 World Cup roster spot with the USMNT in peril. Such a tragic injury at such an important juncture of the season and a Quinn-sized hole will now be a problem Bradley Carnell will look to solve expediently.

Barring an unlikely change to the formation, a combination of Milan Iloski, Indiana Vassilev, Jeremy Rafanello, and Alejandro Bedoya are likely to fill the void at one of the “10’s” in the interim. Ben Bender could also see increased minutes, however, Saturday’s appearance was his first since July 5th – a sign he’s not necessarily high in the pecking order.

Poetically, perhaps it’s an opportunity for Cavan Sullivan to see more minutes as well.

It would be a chance for the sixteen year old to get his feet wet further and would certainly be the most meaningful minutes of his young career. Whether it’s next season, or further off, those minutes could be something the fifteen-year-old calls back upon in far bigger moments in his career down the road.

No matter who fills the void, the Union will be hard-pressed to capture what Quinn is able to provide in anyone else on the roster. However, scoring six unanswered goals after Quinn left in the thirteenth minute on Saturday will go a long way for imparting confidence in the rest of the players.