Caldwell Coming of Age
- Updated: May 13, 2015
Photo credit: Kari Heistad/capturedimages.biz
Through the first 62 games of Scott Caldwell’s career, the up-and-coming midfielder went largely unnoticed. He had to fight for playing time early on, and much of it came in a role that saddled the attack-minded midfielder with a number of defensive chores.
But after collecting four assists while searching for his debut MLS goal in those first 62 games, Caldwell has started to flash his attacking prowess in his last three appearances. During that span, the Braintree, Mass. native not only notched his first career goal, but added three more assists for good measure, showing a supreme confidence in his game.
“I always say he’s important, and a key player for this team,” Revolution midfielder Jermaine Jones said on Wednesday. “He does a lot of work, and now he starts to score some goals, too. And with (Andy Dorman) on the field, he has a little more of that freedom to go (forward) a little bit.”
Caldwell is in the midst of his third MLS season, having appeared in all 10 games the Revolution have played in 2015. He has started nine of those games, and has already matched his career-high in shots while achieving a new career-high in shots on goal with two. Throughout this stretch, it has been clear that Caldwell’s confidence in his game, and coach Jay Heaps’ confidence in Caldwell, has continued to grow.
This confidence was on full display during the Revs’ recent 2-2 draw with Orlando City SC. Caldwell made a key steal in the midfield on Amobi Okugo by stepping up from his defensive midfield role. The ball bounced free to Charlie Davies, who finished the goal to give the Revolution the early 1-0 lead.
This play, and many others like it, have Caldwell’s teammates speaking his praises – most notably Jones. The highest praise of Caldwell’s game came from Jones on Apr. 10, 2015, when Jones mentioned Caldwell as a possible U.S. Men’s National Team replacement for Jones when he retires (in this New England Soccer Today article).
“Scotty looks like a nice guy, but he’s really tough to play against,” Jones said. “I think he (undertakes) a lot of work for both of us, and we have the freedom to go in front. We both love to play with him and he’s a small pit bull.”
As Caldwell continues to channel his “pit bull” attitude and stellar defensive play, his role is likely to expand with the Revolution as his career progresses. While he may never be the superstar of the Revolution, it’s now abundantly clear that Scott Caldwell has become an integral piece in the Revolution midfield.
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