FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The result had long since been decided by the time Scott Caldwell capped the scoring in the 84th minute of Saturday night’s 4-0 victory over Real Salt Lake, but the New England Revolution midfielder can be forgiven for celebrating like it was a match winner.
Caldwell, born and raised just 20 miles north of Gillette Stadium in Braintree, Massachusetts, had waited two-plus years and 63 regular-season appearances for his first MLS goal. It was a special moment for a player who once captained the Revolution’s Under-18 team, regardless of the circumstances.
“It was a good feeling, definitely, to get that kind of monkey off my back,” said Caldwell.
A defensive midfielder by trade, Caldwell isn’t typically tasked with goal-scoring duties. Instead, he does all the little things which help the Revs win games, but aren’t noticed by casual fans. He’s a mucker.
Which is why the goal meant as much to Caldwell’s teammates as it did to the player himself.
“It’s been such a long time coming,” said Chris Tierney, another Massachusetts native who opened the scoring on Saturday night. “Scott is such an underrated player in my opinion. He does so much for the team. He’s really stepped into a role where a lot of guys look to him and really respect him.
“He brings it every day. He’s phenomenal in training and he’s even better in games. We’re really lucky to have him and it’s great to see him get on the score sheet. Long overdue. So we’re excited for him.”
It was the first time a player wearing the number six scored a goal for the Revolution since 2009, when a gritty defender named Jay Heaps scored the last of his nine career goals with New England.
“The number six – it’s a good number,” Heaps said with a smile. “I was real excited about Scotty tonight. He puts in such a great effort every training session, every day and every game.
“He’s just one of those people you want to just have on the field and do well. When he does and scores a goal like that, that was special. We were all excited.”
Perhaps most excited was Andrew Farrell, who has lived and roomed with Caldwell since the pair entered the league as rookies in 2013. Farrell was the first player to mob Caldwell after he scored, and he even managed to work his way into the media scrum postgame to ask about the celebration.
“I noticed the first guy that got to me was our center back, Andrew Farrell. That was interesting,” Caldwell answered with a laugh. “I was bracing myself for a tackle, but luckily he just kind of picked me up.”
Caldwell, who also added an assist on Charlie Davies’ 50th-minute goal, is actually no stranger to finding the back of the net. An attacking midfielder in college, he scored 20 goals during a four-year career at the University of Akron, including an NCAA title-winning goal during his sophomore season.
That type of goal-scoring aplomb shone through on his first professional goal, taking a short layoff from Kelyn Rowe and guiding a left-footed shot through a crowd and just inside the post.
It was something Caldwell could actually sense coming as the Revs bombarded RSL goalkeeper Jeff Attinella – who was superb – with 13 shots on target.
“[Andy Dorman] and I were talking a little at halftime and I said, ‘one of us is going to get one,’” Caldwell said. “So it just turned out that way.”
Of course, for all the plaudits Caldwell received, it was only fitting that he regularly turned the attention off himself in his postgame comments, choosing instead to focus on the team.
Which, again, is why his teammates were so delighted to see him score.
“It was more important just to get the three points,” Caldwell said. “It was a great team performance.”
