Jefferson "Jeff" Caldwell (born February 20, 1996) is an American professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

player who plays as a

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

for

USL Championship The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, pl ...

club

Colorado Springs Switchbacks Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC is a professional soccer team based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Founded in 2014, the team is a member of the USL Championship, the second tier of the American soccer pyramid. The franchise is owned by Martin E ...

College and amateur

Caldwell played four years of

college soccer College soccer is played by teams composed of soccer players who are enrolled in colleges and universities. It is very prominent in United States, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and as well as in South Africa and the Philippines. The United Kingd ...

at the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

between 2014 and 2017, making 61 appearances. While at college, Caldwell appeared for

USL PDL USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league syste ...

sides

Seattle Sounders FC U-23 Sound FC is an American soccer team based in Tacoma, Washington. Founded in 2006, the team most recently played in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. History 2006–2009: Playoffs The Tacoma team was introduced int ...

and

Colorado Rapids U-23 Colorado Rapids U–23 were an American soccer team based in the Denver suburb of Commerce City, Colorado, United States. Originally founded in 2000 as part of the development system for the Colorado Rapids, the team played in the Premier Develo ...

Professional career

New York City FC

On January 19, 2018, Caldwell was selected 19th overall in the

2018 MLS SuperDraft The 2018 MLS SuperDraft was the nineteenth SuperDraft conducted by Major League Soccer. As customary, the SuperDraft was held in conjunction with the annual United Soccer Coaches convention. The 2018 UCS was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania be ...

New York City FC New York City Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in New York City that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), the highest level of American soccer, as a member of the league's Eastern Conference. The club is co-owned ...

. He signed with the club on February 28, 2018.

Loan to Memphis 901

On March 5, 2019, Caldwell was loaned to

side

Memphis 901 FC Memphis 901 FC is an American professional soccer team based in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 2018, the team made its debut in the USL Championship in 2019. Stadium The club currently plays on the grounds of AutoZone Park, a baseball stadiu ...

for their 2019 season.

New England Revolution

Caldwell was released by New York City on November 20, 2019. He was selected by

New England Revolution The New England Revolution is an American professional soccer club based in the Greater Boston area that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), in the Eastern Conference of the league. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having compet ...

in the MLS Waiver Draft on November 25, 2019. He was the third-choice keeper behind Matt Turner and

Brad Knighton Bradley Burton Knighton (born February 6, 1985) is an American former professional soccer player. College and amateur soccer Knighton played four years of college soccer at UNC-Wilmington as well as for Indiana Invaders in the USL Premier Dev ...

, and did not make an appearance in the 2020 season with the Revolution.

Hartford Athletic

On January 27, 2021 Caldwell signed with

team

Hartford Athletic Hartford Athletic is an American professional soccer team based in Hartford, Connecticut. The club was founded in 2018 and started play in the USL Championship in 2019. It is the only pro soccer team in Connecticut. History On June 8, 2021, Ha ...

for the 2021 season. He made his competitive debut with the team on April 30, 2021 against

New York Red Bulls II New York Red Bulls II is an American professional soccer team based in Montclair, New Jersey. They are the reserve team of the New York Red Bulls and play in MLS Next Pro, the third tier in the American soccer pyramid. History Red Bull New Yo ...

. Caldwell finished the year second in saves for the

and tied for 3rd in clean sheets at nine.

Loan to Miami FC

On November 5, 2021, Caldwell was sent to USL Championship side

Miami FC The Miami FC is an American professional soccer team based in Miami, Florida that competes in the USL Championship, the second tier of the American soccer pyramid. The club began play in the North American Soccer League (NASL) in the 2016 se ...

as an emergency loan ahead of the

2021 USL Championship Playoffs The 2021 USL Championship Playoffs (branded as the 2021 USL Championship Playoffs presented by TwinSpires for sponsorship reasons) was the post-season championship of the 2021 USL Championship. It was the eleventh edition of the USL Championship ...

. He started for Miami in the team's 1–0 loss to

Louisville City FC Louisville City Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in Louisville, Kentucky. The team plays in the USL Championship, known through the 2018 season as the United Soccer League (USL), which is currently the second tier of th ...

in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.

Colorado Springs Switchbacks

On December 7, 2021, it was announced Caldwell would join USL Championship side

ahead of their 2022 season.

International

Caldwell played in one game with the United States Under-20 Men's National Team in 2015, and also featured for the U-17 and U-18 national teams. He was a member of the United States’ 2013 Concacaf U-17 Championship squad, and was also named to roster for the

2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup The 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup was the twentieth edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup since its inception in 1977 as the FIFA World Youth Championship. The competition took place for the first time in New Zealand, the third time on Oceanian soil after ...

, but did not see game action.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Caldwell, Jeff 1996 births Living people American men's soccer players Men's association football goalkeepers Virginia Cavaliers men's soccer players Seattle Sounders FC U-23 players Colorado Rapids U-23 players New York City FC draft picks New York City FC players Memphis 901 FC players New England Revolution players Hartford Athletic players Miami FC players Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC players USL Championship players USL League Two players People from Ashe County, North Carolina Soccer players from North Carolina United States men's under-20 international soccer players United States men's youth international soccer players