Quinn Sullivan ‘would love to be the face’ of the Union. When he returns from a torn ACL, he might just be.

We’ll never know how far the Union would have gone in last year’s playoffs had Quinn Sullivan not been sidelined with a torn ACL.

But for as far as he still has to go until he’s back on the field, Sullivan has let any such feelings go from his mind.

“I definitely felt like if I was healthy, I could have contributed, and maybe the game’s a little different,” he said. “But it wasn’t that way, and you know, it’s how the cookie crumbles. It’s all right.”

That doesn’t mean he has moved on from everything along the way. Some of the moments were ones he’ll cherish for a long time: being named the fans’ player of the year, joining his teammates to lift the Supporters’ Shield, and banging the pregame drum before the Union’s first-round rout of Chicago.

The roars from the crowd during the last two of those could have powered Subaru Park for a few weeks afterward.

“It was an amazing experience to really feel part of it,” Sullivan said. “My teammates have been truly great [since then]. Checking in, just asking me stuff, how I’m doing, how are things going in the off-season, were you here the whole time.”

Yes he was, rehabbing under the watchful eye of the Union’s head of health and innovation, Brad Papson.

“So it’s nice to have the guys back,” Sullivan said. “My banter was at an all-time high because I had a lot of time to prepare some to prepare some stuff.”

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Another memorable moment came when the U.S. men’s national team visited in November. Sullivan got to meet with the squad when it trained at the Union’s facilities leading up to the game vs. Paraguay, then after the Americans won he went downstairs to join them again.

As he arrived at the walkway to locker room, he was greeted by U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino, who had given Sullivan his first senior caps with the Gold Cup team in the summer. Pochettino put an arm around Sullivan’s shoulder as they passed the media nearby.

“Seeing ‘Poch’ was great,” Sullivan said, also praising top assistant Jesús Pérez for catching him on the way. “The whole staff was super-loving and caring and asked a lot of questions, and the support staff and the athletic training department over there has reached out a couple times to see how recovery has been going well. So that definitely makes me feel part of it, which is nice.”

Sullivan is one of 70 players Pochettino has called up in his tenure, and no offense is meant by the assumption that he’s not a contender to crack Pochettino’s World Cup roster.

One could say it’s a fact.

But Pochettino and Pérez showed their character by reaching out to him, and the moment stuck with many people who saw it.

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“It makes you feel a part of it,” Sullivan said. “I definitely felt that when I was in the Gold Cup camp. I obviously didn’t get a ton of minutes — we talked post-camp that I would love to have played more — and yet here I am injured and they still are caring and supporting. So I really appreciate it, and it goes a long way.”

He has passed the time in a number of ways: from social media content to making his own matcha, to helping his girlfriend launch Stavélo, a soccer-themed fashion brand.

Now he is at the point in his rehab where he can start looking forward to returning to action, even though it will still be a while before he plays in a game.

It says much about Sullivan and the Union’s emphasis on youth that this season will be his sixth since the 21-year-old attacking midfielder turned pro at the start of 2021. He and 24-year-old Nathan Harriel, who made his first-team debut the same year, are now old heads in the locker room.

“Being injured allows me to play a bigger role in that leadership, because I’m not actively fighting for a spot or trying to prove something,” Sullivan said. “I’m trying to prove something to myself and get back, obviously, but in terms of on the pitch.”

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Not only does he embrace it, but he’d take on more of it if offered.

“I’m able to take that role of, whatever people need, they can come to me, ask questions,” he said. “Talking to the new guys, and trying to help them get acclimated to everything. So, yeah, I’m definitely trying to take a bigger leadership role — it’s also a different one. It’s definitely a learning process, but I think I’m getting a pretty good hang of it.”

It’s possible, perhaps even likely, that Sullivan won’t play in another game for the Union until after the World Cup break ends in July, a point he was first to make.

“I’m ahead of schedule already, but I’m still saying nine months [after surgery in early October] is what we’re shooting for,” he said. “When you get in that last month, you’re basically shooting with strength numbers from what I’ve talked to with Brad. … ACL is by no means a linear recovery. I’m cautiously optimistic with how recovery has gone thus far.”

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When the time finally comes, it’s also possible that he won’t just be greeted with another roar. He could well become one of the faces of the Union, even more than he already is in advertisements around town with his more-heralded brother Cavan.

“I feel the support from the fans obviously, with winning player of the year last year — that was really nice,” Quinn said. “And to know that I have that support, and that roar when Kevin [Casey, Subaru Park’s public address announcer] says my name over the loudspeaker for the starting lineup. So, yeah, that would be amazing.”

It is, again, not meant to diminish Quinn’s feats or potential to say he is not on the fast track to Europe like Cavan is. If he really takes off late this year and next, there could certainly be offers from abroad for him.

But if they are a little slower to come, and if that means the Bridesburg native stays in his hometown for a little while longer, he won’t mind standing in the spotlight.

“I’d love to be the face of this team,” he said. “I mean, I grew up supporting this team. I love this team, I love this city, I feel like I embody what Philadelphia means. I would love if that was the case.”

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