Revolution midfielder Scott Caldwell was destined to become a professional soccer player from an early age.
His father, Larry Caldwell, played for the Hartford Bicentennials of the NASL. His three older siblings all played at the college level of the game, with his brother Keith Caldwell playing for Brown University and eventually being drafted by the Colorado Rapids in 2006. His sisters—Andrea and Amy—both played for Simmons College and Boston College respectively.
With such a soccer orientated family and growing up watching Manchester United greats such as David Beckham, Paul Scholes, and Ryan Giggs, Caldwell said he was constantly around the game.
“I grew up with the sport as my main focus and I grew to love the game very much so I was able to learn and educate myself,” Caldwell said. “[I] watched a lot of soccer and played a lot from a young age and I think that just got me interested in it at first and then that kind of took me off on my own.”
When it came time for him to go off to college, Caldwell chose the University of Akron, where he would go on to win three MAC Conference Championships and the NCAA College Cup in 2010.
“I chose Akron for the reason that they played the style of soccer that I [thought] would help me show my skills the most,” Caldwell said. “I thought that was the best chance to give me an opportunity to play after college. Under Caleb Porter and Jared Embick at Akron, I was able to learn quite a lot with a lot of other talented players I kind of learned from them and was able to be prepared for the next level.”
During his summer breaks, while he was at college, Caldwell trained with the Revolution Academy. After spending time in the academy and training with the first team, Caldwell was offered a contract by the Revolution and became the second Homegrown Player in the club’s history in 2012. Caldwell said he was thrilled to get the opportunity to sign with his hometown team.
“I would come to Gillette stadium even when it wasn’t called Gillette Stadium and watch games,” Caldwell said. “I’ve always wanted to play for the Revolution and when I was given that opportunity I couldn’t pass it up.”
The Braintree native is heading into his sixth season in New England and became the second Homegrown field player to play 10,000 minutes in the MLS last season. In his career with the Revolution, Caldwell has scored three goals, 17 assists, and has never earned a red card. With 154 career games for the club, the defensive midfielder has been a staple in the Revolution side.
Heading into the 2018 season, Caldwell will play his first season under a new manager, with Brad Friedel taking over the job vacated by Jay Heaps in September. Caldwell said that the new manager has given this preseason an added sense of competition.
“It’s been a great start to preseason. It’s been very intense,” Caldwell said. “It’s been a whole group of guys that have been given a fresh start and it’s increased the competition from bottom to top on the roster and it’s been a very intense set of training sessions so far.”
Caldwell said that under Friedel, Revolution fans should expect a team that works hard until the final whistle.
“There’s a whole lot but you’re going to see a team that is fighting and working as hard as they can to win every game,” Caldwell said. “There’s gonna be a lot of talented players out here on the field and everyone’s going to compete to make sure they’re the ones on the field and it’s going to help everyone get better individually and collectively.”
Heading into the 2018 season, the Revolution have made many new acquisitions and signings, including a new Homegrown player—17-year-old Issac Angking. Angking is the fourth Homegrown player in Revolution history and has impressed Caldwell so far.
“Isaac [Angking] is a very talented player,” Caldwell said. “He has a big upside and we all wish him to continue to grow as a player and person and we’re looking forward to working with him he’s a great player.”
Since Caldwell joined the MLS, he says he has seen the overall shape of the league change.
“I think you can see that there was a focus on getting big-name players into the league when I was getting into the league but since then it’s transitioned a little bit,” Caldwell said. “They want big players but they want them at a younger age, more in their prime, and more of them.”
Caldwell said that all of this change in the league has and will continue to help the MLS in the long run.
“It’s helped the overall level of the league grow every year and you can see it just by watching the games and I think it’s going to continue to do that and its been great to see,” Caldwell said.
The Revolution open up the 2018 MLS season on the road against the Philadelphia Union on Saturday, March 3 at 7 p.m.
