Cavan Sullivan’s chalk toss celebration was in the works for weeks, and the planning proved well-worth it for the occasion.
In the team’s 2-0 win against CF Montreal on Saturday night, the Union’s 16-year-old Homegrown attacking midfielder scored his fourth Major League Soccer goal, his third in three matches, and most notably, his very first in front of Union faithful at Subaru Park– the riverfront home venue of his boyhood club.
As smoothly as the teenage differencemaker positioned himself in the right spot to finish off an attacking drive from Milan Iloski that’d been stifled by the visiting keeper, Sullivan shot a powerful strike to the back of the net, ran to the right corner, celebrated with his teammates, then broke off to catch a pass from the sideline.
On cue with the coordinated scheme they’d quietly concocted, club Social Media Manager Kim Ahrens had thrown Sullivan a tube of chalk disguised in black athletic tape.
Sullivan opened it, then tossed a handful of chalk into the stadium air in front of a crowd of energized fans making a white cloud recognizable by many as an homage to LeBron James.
The act recreated the NBA great’s iconic pre-game ritual via goal celebration – an unspoken welcome to Philly and encouragement to visit Subaru Park.
It’s been an exciting time for the youngest Sullivan -- the Philadelphia Union Academy product from Northeast Philly has impressed with a head-turning post-World Cup run of form to the tune of three goals and three assists over eight starts.
But it’s also been an exciting time for Philadelphia sports as a whole. After a summer headlined by six FIFA World Cup matches and MLB All-Star weekend in South Philly, LeBron announced he’d sign as a Philadelphia 76er on July 24th.
The news broke just two days after the Union returned to MLS play following nearly two months off for the World Cup break, defeating New York Red Bulls 3-1 to begin what has since become an eight-match unbeaten streak.
The three-point outing against Montreal on Saturday was the latest favorable result in the Union’s dream stretch, and the one that finally pushed them above the Eastern Conference playoff line to ninth place.
“I'm really happy. I was waiting to do that for a while,” Sullivan said during his post-match media availability.
All three of his previous MLS goals had come away from home.
“So, I had Kim, our [social media manager] holding the chalk for multiple games. I just kept missing out on it, or I was away, and tonight, great crowd. I figured it was the perfect time,” he continued.
“We’ve got to get him to strike the drum. And maybe, you know, follow me back on Instagram. We'll see.”
He admitted the idea first came when LeBron shouted out the United States Men’s National team’s Folarin Balogun, who reenacted his 'Silencer' celebration after scoring against Bosnia and Herzegovina during the World Cup.
After his explanation, Sullivan extended a more direct invitation to new 76ers’ new number 23.
“Bron, this place is dope. Environment like you've never seen before. No arena is like Subaru Park, so pull up if you want to watch good soccer with Philly kids.”
