Cavan Sullivan will not play for the Union on Saturday night against the New England Revolution after a hit to his ankle left him out of the latest MLS injury report. The change matters because the Union can clinch a playoff berth with a win at Subaru Park.
The 17-year-old took the knock in last Saturday's 2-2 tie with Charlotte, and the injury report on Friday closed the door on any late turnaround. He had missed practice on Wednesday, then returned on Thursday, when Ryan Richter said Sullivan expected to be fine for Saturday night.
That optimism did not survive the final availability check. MLS listed Sullivan as out on Friday, and the club now has to go into one of its most important games without a player who had appeared set to be available just a day earlier. Jesús Bueno is also out while he continues to rehab a hamstring injury suffered earlier this month.
The timing is sharper because the Union are sixth in the Eastern Conference with a 13-10-7 record and 46 points, while the New England Revolution are third at 16-10-4 and 52 points. A win would clinch a playoff berth outright. A tie could still do it, but only if other results across the league fall the Union's way.
Sullivan's status also comes one day after MLS fined him an undisclosed amount for violating the league's policy on simulation or embellishment on a play in the 84th minute of the Charlotte game. For now, the only certainty is that he will watch Saturday's big game from the sideline, and the Union will have to find a way to finish the job without him.
