Chad Calderone has been playing soccer his entire life, but he finds himself in a unique position with the New York Cosmos opening match a little more than a week away.
The Baldwin native is a 32-year-old rookie.
“Immediately, I was overly excited about it,” the goalkeeper said about the chance to compete for the Cosmos. “I just started thinking about the possibilities about it. Even with my age, I was super excited about the opportunity.”
In a phone interview from London, where the Cosmos are in the final stages of preparation for their second incarnation in the North American Soccer League, Calderone said he’s excited about the chance to relaunch the iconic brand to a new generation starting with an Aug. 3 match against the Fort Lauderdale Strikers at Hofstra’s Shuart Stadium.
“[Cosmos chairman] Seamus [O’Brien] spoke to us about that the other night and made us look at it from that perspective, that while it’s such a huge brand name with so much history, we have a chance to redefine it for now,” Calderone said. “That’s such a special thing.”
It’s also a chance for the 6-foot-1 Calderone to redefine his career.
Calderone, who most recently played for the New York Pancyprian-Freedoms of the Cosmopolitan Soccer League, said he’s played soccer in Rockville Centre his whole life. He helped lead Kellenberg to a Long Island title, earning all-state and all-region honors. He went on to Colgate where he was named Patriot League Rookie of the Year in 1999 before he transferred to Old Dominion University.
“First and foremost I just try to come in and have a positive effect on everybody, do my job, work as hard as I can and compete for that spot,” he said. “As an older guy, I think you always have a different perspective than the youngsters, but then again my situation is a little different because I’m a rookie.”
Along with Dane Murphy and Stefan Dimitrov, Calderone competed for the Cosmos U-23 team and was part of the squad that played in the Paul Scholes testimonial match at famed Old Trafford, the home of Manchester United.
“They were local, they trusted the Cosmos at that time and were gratified by traveling to Manchester United to play there,” Cosmos coach Giovanni Savarese said. “They wanted to be part of this and they needed to be signed and have the opportunity to be part of this at this moment.”
Calderone shared the same field with Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs and Rio Ferdinand and was coached by French legend Eric Cantona.
He said it was the greatest experience of his soccer career, although the final result – a 6-0 loss to Manchester United – was a bit disappointing.
“It’s definitely number one as far as how unbelievable the experience was playing in front of 77,000 people and having the coaching staff we had and the big name players, but from a competitive standpoint it was so disappointing,” Calderone said. “To go out there with the team we had was difficult, but it was unreal.”
“Having that experience, in some ways, has really prepared me for this experience,” he added. “I feel much better prepared for something like this.”
Calderone is back in England two years later as the Cosmos inch closer to their anticipated return to professional soccer. He said the preseason trip has been beneficial, especially to build a camaraderie with his new teammates.
“You really get to fill in those gaps with people you don’t know and get together and jell on and off the field quickly,” Calderone said. “We’re getting better and seeing who we are as a team which is fun.”
Calderone said the fact he is a Long Island native makes the Cosmos reboot even more special. He got a taste of what it means to the soccer-rich community at the club’s open practice at Hofstra earlier this month.
“I actually knew a lot of the kids and the parents who were there because I trained [the kids] over the years,” he said. “For me, it’s going to really special to do this in my backyard.”
