Where Do Cavan and Quinn Sullivan Stand Among the Best Brother Duos in MLS History?

Philadelphia is known as the City of Brotherly Love, which befits the Philadelphia Union, who are dominating the league thanks to the outstanding play of the Sullivan brothers, 16-year-old Cavan and 22-year-old Quinn.

Since Quinn’s return from an ACL injury in late July, the two have combined for seven goals and 12 assists across all competitions, commanding the Union to a now 12-game unbeaten streak and up from the depths of the MLS standings to legitimate playoff contention.

Stealing the show is teenager Cavan, who is enjoying a breakout campaign. The midfielder himself has recorded six goals and seven assists in the past two months, with at least one goal contribution in all of the Union’s last five games. He is quickly establishing himself as one of the best teenagers in MLS history and the bright future of the U.S. men’s national team.

The Sullivan brothers are far from the only family duo to make a name for themselves in MLS play, though. Over the league’s 31 years, some of the best players have played alongside their brothers, with some winning U.S. Open Cup, MLS Cup and Concacaf Champions Cup glory. Some have even played at the FIFA Club World Cup.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, the Sullivan brothers have one more full season together before Cavan turns 18 years old and joins the Premier League’s Manchester City. Should they continue to perform at such heights through the rest of this season and the next, then they could certainly rank among the best brotherly duos in MLS history.

To do so, though, they’d have to knock off some highly-touted others. Here, Sports Illustrated ranks the top pairs of MLS brothers, a premier list the Sullivans have yet to crack.

5. DaMarcus and Jamar Beasley

DaMarcus Beasley (left) and Jamar Beasley (right) played together for the Chicago Fire in 2001. | Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire/Corbis/Getty Images, Jonathan Daniel/ALLSPORT/Getty Images

The Beasley brothers were largely defined by DaMarcus Beasley’s long-term success in MLS, but also by four seasons of action from his older brother, Jamar Beasley.

As a versatile left back and left winger, DaMarcus made 222 MLS appearances between 1999 and 2019, enjoying a 20-year career that also took him to Europe and Mexico. He also earned 123 caps with the U.S. men’s national team, becoming the only USMNT player to feature in four World Cup tournaments (2002, 2006, 2010, 2014). During his MLS tenure with the L.A. Galaxy, Chicago Fire and Houston Dynamo, he won three U.S. Open Cup titles, but never won the MLS Cup.

Jamar, meanwhile, amassed 66 appearances with the New England Revolution and the Chicago Fire between 1998 and 2001, joining DaMarcus in Chicago for that final year, before returning to an illustrious indoor soccer career that took him to two Futsal World Cups and made him a legend in indoor and arena soccer in the U.S.

4. Chris and Stephen Wondolowski

Chris Wondlowski, Stephen Wondolowski — No brotherly duo has more goals than Chris Wondlowski (left, center) and Stephen Wondolowski (right). | Omar Vega/USSF/Getty Images, MediaNews Group/Bay Area News/Getty Images

The brotherly duo of Chris and Stephen Wondolowski has scored more goals than any brothers in MLS history. Chris Wondolowski still ranks as the league’s all-time leading scorer with 171 goals and 42 assists in his career—and that’s what lofts them into the category of the highest-scoring duo. His brother, Stephen, never scored an MLS goal, making four appearances across all competitions with the Houston Dynamo in 2008.

The pair were teammates at Dynamo in 2005, but Wondolowski’s best moments came in San Jose, where he became a club legend across two iterations of the club, after the Earthquakes relocated to Houston and later returned to San Jose as an expansion team.

While there weren’t any remarkable moments from their shared 2008 season together, they do qualify for this metric in a similar fashion to the NHL’s best brotherly duo, the Gretzkys, featuring 2,857 points from Wayne Gretzky and just four from his brother, Brent.

3. Giovani and Jonathan dos Santos

Giovani Dos Santos (left) and Jonathan Dos Santos (right) had plenty of good times with the L.A. Galaxy. | Shaun Clark/Getty Images

Giovani dos Santos will always have a special place in the hearts of L.A. Galaxy fans, despite not being able to deliver an MLS Cup to the most-decorated team in the league during his tenure from 2015 to 2018. While he was the face of an era of Galaxy soccer, his younger brother, Jonathan dos Santos, also played a key role, overlapping for two seasons in 2017 and 2018 and remained at the club through 2021.

Giovani, who spent time with Barcelona, Villarreal Tottenham Hotspur, among other European clubs, served as an overseas beacon for the Mexico national team, at a time when Javier “Chicarito” Hernandez was largely the only other prominent El Tri figure overseas. Jonathan, too, had time with Barcelona and Villarreal, but didn’t quite establish himself in the same lore as Giovani did.

Together, the two brought plenty of attention from L.A.’s Mexican community to the club and helped lay the groundwork for the team’s eventual MLS Cup championship return in 2024. Giovani ended his MLS career with 26 goals and 22 assists in 77 games. Jonathan netted six goals and seven assists as a central midfielder over 103 MLS appearances before moving to Club América.

2. Cristian and Alex Roldan

Cristian Roldan (right) and Alex Roldan (left) have been the heart of the Seattle Sounders for a generation. | Steph Chambers/Getty Images

The Roldan brothers are West Coast soccer to the core. The two grew up in California and have spent their entire professional careers with the Seattle Sounders, establishing themselves as a preeminent pair who have defined several eras of MLS in Seattle, from the Fredy Montero and Clint Dempsey years to the current squad.

Cristian Roldan, now 31, has 322 MLS appearances for the Sounders, with 40 goals and 56 assists. During that time, the midfielder has helped Seattle win two MLS Cup titles in 2016 and 2019 and the 2025 Leagues Cup. He also led the Sounders to 2022 Concacaf Champions Cup, who became the only MLS team to win the continental tournament since 2000.

With that consistency and leadership, Cristian earned the captain's armband at several points and became a fixture on the USMNT under several managers, playing in both the 2022 and 2026 World Cups.

Alex, meanwhile, has four goals and 23 assists in 211 regular-season appearances at fullback for the Sounders, helping fortify their defense since 2018 and playing a key role in the 2019 MLS Cup, Leagues Cup and Concacaf Champions Cup titles.

While others on this list may shine a little brighter, the Roldans are royalty in U.S. soccer and the only MLS brothers to have played at a FIFA Club World Cup together, doing so in 2025.

1. Diego and Yimmi Chara

Diego Chará (right) and Yimmi Chará (left) have played a key role in Portland Timbers history. | Diego Diaz/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

No other MLS brotherly duo has been as dominant and club-defining as the Chará brothers were with the Portland Timbers. In fact, the elder Diego Chará is still going strong at 40, having been with the club since his MLS debut in 2011. The younger of the pair, Yimmi Chará, played for the team from 2020 to 2023 and now plays in Colombia.

While neither was prolific attack-wise, their durability stands out. Diego has amassed 445 MLS appearances since making his debut in 2011, scoring 12 goals and adding 37 assists in that time. He has played a key role in every Timbers era, peaking with the run to the 2015 MLS Cup title.

In addition to his MLS regular-season games, he has played 26 MLS Cup playoff games, while additional competitions bring him to a whopping 503 appearances, making him an MLS legend in every sense of the word. Yimmi, meanwhile, scored 15 goals and 29 assists in 115 MLS appearances as a winger over four seasons and helped the Timbers win the 2020 MLS is Back Tournament.

The two stand as the pinnacle of longevity, success and production, while also becoming beloved players to the fanbase through several chapters of MLS.

Add us as a preferred source on Google