Scott Caldwell and his teammates celebrate his first professional goal. Photo/Kari Heistad
FOXBORO, Mass.– He’s been an unsung hero ever since he first suited up for his hometown team in March of 2013, helping the New England Revolution maintain possession and doing more than his fair share of the dirty work in midfield.
But last Saturday night, Scott Caldwell’s moment in the limelight arrived, his shot from just outside the box beating Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Jeff Attinella for his first professional goal. The strike capped a comprehensive, 4-0 victory before 17,982—the largest crowd so far at Gillette Stadium this season.
At halftime, with his team up 2-0, Caldwell had a feeling.
“[Andy] Dorman and I were talking a little bit at half time that one of us would get one,” Caldwell said. “It ended up being me.
“With Dorman, we were sitting in there together, sharing the duties of defending and attacking. He made his way up a few times, and I did a few times. I was just lucky to get one to roll out to me.”
The play started with a scramble inside the six-yard box as Steve Neumann and Juan Agudelo both had point-blank shots blocked. The ball then fell to Caldwell at the top of the 18, the Braintree, Mass. native side-footing the rebound through traffic and into the back of the net.
It wasn’t pretty, but Caldwell hasn’t ever been one for glamorous plays. From playing for the Revolution’s Academy, to being a key component to Akron’s national championship team, Caldwell has always been more preoccupied with controlling and winning back possession.
That someone who is listed as 5’8” excels so much in a position that’s dominated by hard, physical play is a testament to Caldwell’s skill and soccer-sense. He’s not picky with his midfield partner, either, as he’s paired well with Jermaine Jones, Dorman, and even Daigo Kobayashi despite a language barrier. He’s quiet on the field and in the locker room, but his play speaks volumes about what he does for the Revolution.
Most notably, he has an impressive career passing accuracy of 83.6 percent.
“He puts in such a great effort every training session, every day and every game,” Revolution head coach Jay Heaps said. “So, when he gets out there and he does all the hard work, he’s just one of those people you want to have on the field and do well.”
Caldwell was the least-likely Revolution player, beside goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth, to tally a goal on Saturday. He has averaged 0.3 shots per game over 49 appearances, according to the soccer statistics hub WhoScored.com. Shots from Caldwell are indeed rare, with a brunt of the Revolution’s press corps holding their breath in excitement every time he’s seen winding up from the press box.
“I’m always trying to get into the attack if I can to help out,” said Caldwell. “It’s not my first responsibility at all, but if it comes about that way I’ll definitely look to join the attack.”
“It was a good feeling, definitely, kind of getting that monkey off my back, but it was more important to get the three points.”
If you want to reach Julian email him at julianccardillo@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @juliancardillo
