Cavan Sullivan Scores After Rescinded Red, but Austin FC Hold Union to 1-1 Draw

Cavan Sullivan was not supposed to be at Q2 Stadium on Saturday night, at least not in uniform. His red card from Wednesday's draw with Inter Miami had him lined up for a one-game ban until an Independent Review Panel threw out the suspension, and roughly 24 hours later the 16-year-old was heading home the opening goal against Austin FC.

The Union could not hold it. Brendan Hines-Ike answered with a header three minutes later, and the teams finished 1-1 in the Texas heat, a result that extended Philadelphia's MLS unbeaten run to six matches and left the two clubs with identical 5-6-10 records and 21 points apiece. Two goals, both from corners, both in a three-minute window. Then 70-plus minutes of trying to find another.

The Kid Who Wasn't Supposed to Play

Austin had the brighter opening. In the 14th minute, the hosts strung together three efforts in quick succession: Andre Blake saved a Myrto Uzuni shot from distance, then stopped Jon Gallagher from a tight angle on the right, and Neil Pierre blocked another Uzuni try from the center of the box.

Philadelphia struck first anyway. Per the Union, Milan Iloski worked a short corner from the left with Kai Wagner, took the ball back and crossed it in. Nathan Harriel kept it alive near the right post and headed it on to Sullivan, who nodded it in from very close range in the 18th minute. The Union said it was his second career MLS goal, and MLSsoccer.com noted it gave him five goals and 11 assists in 25 games across all competitions this season. Not bad for a player who spent part of the week suspended for this very match.

Hines-Ike Hits Right Back

The lead lasted about as long as a TikTok trend. In the 21st minute, Austin won a corner of its own, Joseph Rosales whipped it in, and Hines-Ike rose at the left side of the six-yard box to power a header into the middle of the goal. Austin's site described it simply: the teams traded goals from corners.

From there, the heat seemed to dictate the tempo. Play paused for a drinks break in the 29th minute and again in the 76th. Pierre blocked a Christian Ramirez shot in front of goal in the 33rd minute, and the Union spent the rest of the half picking up yellow cards rather than conceding chances, with Jesús Bueno booked in the 37th minute and Pierre in the 41st.

Second Half: Posts, Saves and Not Much Else

Ramirez fired over from close range in the 51st minute after a Guilherme Biro cross, and two minutes later Danley Jean Jacques came within inches of restoring the Union's lead, hitting the right post from a tight angle after a pass from Sullivan.

Philadelphia's interim coach Ryan Richter turned to his bench earlier than usual, per the club, sending on Quinn Sullivan and Jovan Lukic for Indiana Vassilev and Bueno in the 57th minute. Quinn Sullivan immediately tested Brad Stuver with a shot from outside the box in the 61st, and did it again in the 75th. Austin answered with its own changes in the 63rd minute, bringing on Facundo Torres and Brandon Vázquez.

Torres made an instant impact. In the 70th minute he forced Blake into a save in the top left corner from a tight angle on the left, and he set up Vázquez in the 86th and Uzuni in the fourth minute of stoppage time. Blake stopped both. Austin lost Hines-Ike to an injury in the 72nd minute, with Mikkel Desler taking his place, and the Union's final look came deep in stoppage time, when substitute Agustín Anello had a shot blocked.

The Stars

Blake was the reason Philadelphia left Texas with a point. He made five saves, including the late stops on Vázquez and Uzuni that kept the Union's unbeaten run alive. Austin put six shots on target to Philadelphia's three, and Blake handled five of them.

Sullivan's night was short but meaningful. He played 74 minutes, scored on his only shot and set up the Jean Jacques chance that hit the post. MLSsoccer.com reported that he has started every MLS game for Philadelphia since the World Cup break, a stretch in which the Union have won four and drawn two.

For Austin, Hines-Ike scored his goal and was later forced off, and Torres was the most dangerous player off either bench. Stuver made two saves, both on Quinn Sullivan long-range efforts.

The Turning Point

The 21st-minute equalizer. Philadelphia had the lead, the momentum and the feel-good storyline. Three minutes later, all of it was gone, and the rest of the night became a grind in which the Union seemed comfortable defending and Austin never quite found the finishing touch.

Stats That Matter

• Shots on target: Austin 6, Philadelphia 3.
• Saves: Blake made five, Stuver two.
• Possession: Austin held 55.3 percent of the ball and completed 403 passes to Philadelphia's 316.
• Interceptions: Philadelphia made 18 to Austin's seven, a sign of how much defending the Union did.
• Corners: Six apiece, and each side scored from one.

What It Means

Both teams sit at 5-6-10 with 21 points, which tells you plenty about how each club's season has gone. The difference is direction. Philadelphia is now unbeaten in six MLS matches, winning four and drawing two since the World Cup break, and heads to Red Bull New York for a rivalry game on Saturday. Austin turns its attention to a Leagues Cup quarterfinal against Toluca FC on Wednesday, Aug. 26, according to the club.

The crowd at Q2 Stadium, listed by Austin at 20,738, got two goals in three minutes and then a long, sweaty wait for a winner that never came.

Closing Take

Sullivan's week played out like a sports movie montage: suspension, review, overturned, goal. The final scene just never arrived. Philadelphia will happily take the point and the streak, while Austin will wonder how Blake keeps stopping everything in sight. Draws are not glamorous, but for a Union side clawing its way back into relevance, six without a loss is a trailer worth watching.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Additional details as reported by philadelphiaunion.com, austinfc.com and mlssoccer.com.