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| Thursday, October 17, 2002 17:55 EST |
Friends and foes
By Marc Connolly
[ESPN.com]
NORFOLK, Mass. -- Danny Califf knew before most people that Taylor Twellman was going to one day be a special player. It was in January of 1997 when they both were brought in to play in their first camp for the U-17 National Team.
"He came in and did just so well," said Califf. "As soon as he was out there everyone knew he was the real deal."
If he plays Sunday, Taylor Twellman will be in for a battle with Danny Califf. |
Nearly six years later, the rest of the soccer populace in America knows this to be true, as well. Scoring 23 goals to go along with six assists to become the 2002 Budweiser Scoring Champion as a first-year player in Major League Soccer for the New England Revolution, the 22-year-old striker has become the type of cult hero/crossover star around the Bay State that the club has been searching for from the beginning of the league.
At the moment, Twellman is officially questionable to play in Sunday's MLS Cup final against the L.A. Galaxy due to a sprained right knee. Unofficially, the St. Louis native looks to be a lock to play this weekend based on how he looked at practice on Wednesday afternoon, as he was cutting on his knee with apparent ease and was optimistic following his training session.
Should he play, one of the men who he'll be trying to make runs on, beat with the ball and hold off in the air is none other than Califf, a stalwart defender on the Galaxy who is also one of the league's brightest young Americans.
Playing against a former teammate is nothing out of the ordinary in MLS. With all the trading, contraction and allocations, it seems as though everyone has suited up for at least three or four clubs. And the league is filled with guys who at one time made a youth national team or were called in by either Steve Sampson or Bruce Arena to a national team camp as part of an always-changing player pool.
Yet, it is a bit different with Califf and Twellman. Their careers have paralleled each other's since they were 16. After meeting at the U-17 camp, they both caught the eye of assistant coach Sasho Cirovski. It didn't take long for him to start recruiting them both to come play for him at the University of Maryland.
"It was evident at the U-17 level that these two players were going to move on and play at all levels," said Cirovski, now in his 10th season at UM. "Danny really came into his own on that team. Taylor, having not played ODP (Olympic Developmental Program), really burst onto the scene and scored nearly every game or scrimmage we played him in."
Cirovski's celebrated recruiting class of 1998 included not only Twellman and Califf, but also Nick Downing (Revolution) and Beckett Hollenbach (St. Albans City F.C. in England), who all played on that U-17 squad. Ask Califf or Twellman about who signed first and whether it made a difference to the other about becoming a Terrapin and they'll both claim fuzzy memories. Cirovski remembers getting Twellmen to commit after his friend Hollenbach signed.
"We got Taylor first because Danny and Nick were both looking at Europe and Project-40 at the time," said Cirovski. "Once we had them all, they were so integral as freshman to our Final Four run that year."
Califf was a force on the defensive side, while Twellman tallied 15 goals and Soccer America Freshman of the Year honors. It was much of the same the next season as Twellman scored 28 times and Califf continued to be one of the top defenders in the country, voted a third-team All-American.
"It was so nice playing defense on that squad because you never worried about how your team would get goals with Taylor up there," said Califf, an Orange, Calif. native. "It took weight off our shoulders because you knew he'd score goals. He was also a good guy, which made it all the better."
It was during this time, as well as with the U-20 side coached coincidentally enough by current Galaxy head coach Sigi Schmid, that the two got to know each other pretty well
"On road trips we were roommates," said Twellman, who labeled Califf as "the type of player that you love when he's on your side" when asked about him. "And from knowing each other from the U-17s, we got along real well."
They weren't best friends, so to say, but they both could lean on each other since they were in the same boat as far as their futures with opportunities to leave school early to start their professional careers.
"We knew from the beginning that we weren't going to stay there for four years," said Califf. "We talked a lot about where we could go as players and what we wanted to do. The ultimate goal was to go overseas, but we weren't sure if it was better for the time being to establish ourselves in the U.S. first and then go or to go over there straight from school.
"Ultimately, he chose to go over there and I chose to stay here."
While Twellman traveled to Germany to play for 1860 Munich of the German Bundesliga, Califf stayed in the U.S. and went to the Galaxy as the sixth pick of the 2000 MLS Draft. Twellman was his team's youngest player at age 20, and lit up the nets several times in more than 40 matches for his club's reserve side. Meanwhile, Califf played well enough as a rookie to be voted the Galaxy's Defender of the Year.
"We both did well out of school," said Califf. "He benefited from being there and I benefited from staying home. We ended up in the same place."
Here they are now, ready to go to war on Sunday. Each player knows what they're up against in this matchup.
"He's a big guy, but very technically gifted," said Twellman of the 6-1, 175-pound Galaxy defender. "I have the utmost respect for Danny Califf. He's a big-time player. He's a player for the future for the National Team."
Califf, already with one cap under his belt after playing for Arena's squad last winter in the CONCACAF Gold Cup, expects to see Twellman out there wearing the U.S. colors soon enough, perhaps as teammates.
"I'd love to be on his team again and rely on his ability to score goals," said Califf. "This is the start of good things for us and our class, meaning the guys who came out of the U-20 team from '99.
For now, he has his hands full dealing with a relentless striker like Twellman.
"The biggest thing is that he's a guy that is really good in the box and is strong in the air," said Califf. "He's not a player who will get the ball outside the box and dribble you or anything like that. He's someone who works really hard all game and chases balls down. He's not afraid to stick his head in there or to bang bodies or slide after you. He gets a lot of goals on sheer effort and talent. That type of player is someone who can really power a team."
One of these two young men will leave the confines of the Big Razor in Foxboro, Mass., searching for answers and wishing they could replay the match right then and there. But one man will be beaming no matter what happens or who wins.
"To see Danny and Taylor out there along with Leo Cullen (graduated just before Califf and Twellman came to Maryland) and Downing will be something else," said Cirovski. "I think both players will continue to excel and will be fixtures on the National Team and involved in the next two or three World Cups. Danny is so consistent and has really matured as a player, and Taylor has shown that he can score at every level.
"I'm not surprised by their success. Not one bit."
Marc Connolly covers soccer for ESPN.com. He can be reached at shaketiller10@yahoo.com.
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