A conversation with a Bangladeshi at a newly-opened restaurant in Philadelphia serving traditional Halal Bengali foods led Quinn Sullivan to reveal that he was the only active footballer of Bangladeshi heritage in the ongoing Major League Soccer at that time.
Quinn was better known before his younger brother Cavan Sullivan stepped in with a record pro MLS deal with the same Philadelphia Union side at only 14 to turn the whole family chapter into an eye-catching phenomena in USA’s football scene.
Philadelphia Union and Cavan confirmed a transfer agreement with Manchester City that allows him to join the English Premier League champions when he reaches 18.
It is not only Quinn and Cavan though who are involved in football among the family.
Quinn, 20, is the oldest and Cavan the youngest among four siblings.
Twin brothers Ronan and Declan, 15, are in the club's youth academy and also setting eyes on a pro career.
Roots in Dhaka
Sitting at Lobongo Kabab and Café run by a Bangladeshi in Philadelphia last year, Quinn was enjoying naan, beef and goat curry while talking about his Bangladeshi heritage, a video of which was released by Philadelphia Union’s social media pages.
Without mentioning the name, Quinn said his grandmother (calling her nani) hailed from Dhaka and went on to pursue PhD degree at the University of Pennsylvania.
She also worked for the United Nations.
It has been learnt that the name of Sullivan’s grandmother is Sultana Alam.
Sultana married late, to University of Pennsylvania’s renowned German professor Klaus Krippendorff.
Sultana and Klaus’ daughter Heike Krippendorff is Quinn and Cavan’s mother.
Unlike her parents, Heike became passionate in sports after playing football in school.
“My family don’t play sports. My mom (Sultana) moved to Africa when I was a sophomore in high school – she worked for the UN – so I had to go to boarding school, and you have to play sports, and I started to play soccer,” Heike recalled in an interview.
“So I didn’t start playing till I was 15, and then it became like my love. I played in college and then I played after college for like 12 years,” Heike continued.
Heiko tied the knot with Brendan Sullivan, son of a soccer coach who played professionally in the A-League, which eventually became the USL First Division, a tier below MLS.
Together, Heike and Brendan have four sons to whom they passed the passion for football quite successfully.
Bright prospects
Quinn has been a regular pick for American age-group national teams.
He was among only three Philadelphia Union homegrown players to have represented the US Under-20 national team in the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Argentina last year.
Cavan started roaring at earlier age.
He is considered one of the best American players of his generation by the Guardian for a reason.
The wonder kid scored both of USA U-15 team’s goals in a 2-2 draw against England that eventually led his side to victory in the shootout.
The youngest Sullivan was named the best player at the Concacaf U-15 championships as his two assists guided the Americans to a 4-2 win over Mexico in the final.
Recently, Philadelphia Union coach Jim Curtin called Cavan “a special talent, top talent not only in this country but in the world.”
Another record is waiving Cavan closely.
If he plays for the Philadelphia Union’s first team before July 29, he will become the youngest player ever to appear in an MLS match.
