FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – New England Revolution central midfielder Scott Caldwell spent much of his free time over his first year and a half as a professional studying for the CPA exam, which he passed last season.
Of course, this time of year he has the occasional teammate seeking out a little advice on the tax front, but it’s his ability to help on the field that is really paying dividends for the club.
"I get a little bit, but not much,” Caldwell said of players looking for help with their taxes. “It's not something I'm fully invested in either. I've done all the studying, but I wouldn't consider myself great at it yet. I need experience to really feel confident."
There is no doubting his confidence on the field, where the Homegrown talent has blossomed into a key component for the Eastern Conference champions heading into their nationally televised away match Sunday against the Philadelphia Union (5 pm ET; ESPN2).
For much of his two-plus seasons, he has also succeeded in relative anonymity. That was until last week, when teammate Jermaine Jones endorsed Caldwell earlier this week as his proper successor at defensive-mid on the US national team when his time is up with the Yanks.
"He's a good guy who pushes his own personality and his stuff back for the team,” Jones told MLSsoccer.com. “He does the work for the team, everybody says the [dirty] work. He does that a lot. You can see how he comes in on the team, everybody likes him, he's a nice guy, really smart and he's important for the team.”
Revs head coach Jay Heaps echoes those sentiments.
"He's the perfect example of a player taking everything he was given,” Heaps said. “He's one of those players that we put him in whatever level he's in, he rises to the occasion. I think no matter where you put him, he's going to find a way to survive at that level."
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Caldwell shined at Akron, playing under Portland Timbers coach Caleb Porter, while taking advantage of his status in the Revolution Academy to train with the first team during his summers back home.
He became the second Revolution Homegrown player, signing with the club out of college. And since making his debut in March of 2013, he has made it hard for Heaps to keep him off the pitch on game day.
“We loved him from when he was with us, before we signed him,” said Heaps. “We weren't exactly sure how he was going to fit in the professional game. Every time Scott stepped on that field the first year, he got better. Every time he was given an opportunity, he took it.”
The 24-year-old has played in 61 games, making 42 starts since he joined the club, showing a ferocity on the defensive end that plays much bigger than his 5-foot-8 frame.
Off the field, he is quiet and humble, a guy looking for his next hobby to fill the time that his CPA studying once took up. Just don’t expect his latest endeavor to be the art of making the USMNT, despite the heady stamp of approval embossed by Jones.
"It's not something I like to think about,” Caldwell told MLSsoccer.com. “Each and every day I'm here training and trying to get better. It's cool to hear that from a teammate of mine, but it's not something really in the front of my mind."
