By Chester Charter Healthy Highlights reporters | At 16, Quinn Sullivan became a professional soccer player for Major League Soccer’s Philadelphia Union.
It was a big step for the teenager who grew up in Northeast Philadelphia. He had to learn how to build relationships with his teammates, including some who were much older than he was.
“It’s hard for a 16-year-old to hang out with a bunch of 30-year-olds,” said Quinn, who is now 22.
His teammates were always welcoming, he said, but he was “not up to the level to start. So there were a lot of things I needed to improve, both socially and on the field.”
To connect with the other players, he asked them a lot of questions. “It was about learning from them and saying, ‘I need to work on this thing,’” he said.
Off the field, he found other ways to connect. He would go bowling and golfing with teammates. “In my fourth and fifth year, I really started to be out there more and try to involve myself socially,” he said.
Last September the midfielder faced a new challenge. He tore the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) in his left knee and hasn’t been able to play during his recovery. He said his team has been “super supportive throughout my injury.”
He said most of his teammates visited him in the gym every day, asking how he was doing and about how his recovery was going. Off the field, he said, his relationships with other Union players have grown.
Learning how to connect with other people is something professional soccer players need to do. They can be transferred from one team to another almost overnight.
If he had to move to another team, Quinn said, he would put himself out there with new teammates. He’d suggest that they go bowling or golfing or do another activity, using his experiences forming friendships at the Philadelphia Union.
Because wherever he plays, he said, “growing together off the field is super-important to grow together on the field.”
Illustration by Tajah, 5th grade, CCSA, 2025-26.
