Maryland sophomores contemplate toughest choice of their lives and find different answers
Three University of Maryland players who played in the U-20 World Cup in Nigeria last spring recently completed their sophomore seasons and turned their attention toward next year.
Dan Califf, Nick Downing and Taylor Twellman all had to decide whether to abort their college educations and pursue the uncertainty of a professional career.
The quandry is one that seems to grow increasingly complicated as it confronts younger and younger players each year. The contrast in the three teammates’ perspectives illustrates the individual nature of the issue.
Califf: MLS is best option
Califf began thinking about his future halfway through last season. The tall defender went to his Maryland coach, Sasho Cirovski, to investigate his options.
“I wasn’t really enjoying school and I wasn’t looking forward to the spring, when there aren’t many games,” Califf said. “I went to Sasho and the first time we met we didn’t make any concrete decisions. He’s pretty well connected, so I asked him to find out as much as he could.”
By early October, Califf’s mind was set, and he told Cirovski. His signing with MLS through Project-40 was announced Dec. 16 and in January he trained with the U-23 national team in hopes of being among the players to make the cut for the Olympic squad.
Califf said deciding to turn pro was far more difficult a decision than choosing a college.
“I just tried to think about what was going to help me improve the most within the next year,” Califf said. “One reason I signed with Project-40 was the scholarship money [it offers]. I want to take at least one class per semester and keep chipping away at the credits so that when I do go back to finish my degree, the mountain won’t be so high.”
Following his performance in the U-20 World Cup, Califf thought seriously about trying to get on board a European club, but that interest waned when most of the offers he heard about were on a tryout basis.
“The way foreign players, especially Americans, are being treated in Europe right now isn’t great, and I didn’t want to end up somewhere where I wasn’t playing games,” Califf said. “I have always dreamed of playing in Europe, but for me, that was too big of a risk to take right now. I think the United States is the best place for me to improve right now.”
Downing: Another school season
Defensive midfielder Downing changed his mind “countless times” during the season about whether he should turn pro. Europe was never a solid option for Downing, he said, but Project-40 was beckoning.
“One week it would be I’m leaving, the next week it would be I’m staying,” Downing said. “It even started to hurt my game. Sasho finally called me in and said, ‘Let’s put it aside until after the season.'”
The season came to a sudden end against St. John’s in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The only positive Downing found in being eliminated Nov. 21 was that he was able to spend the Thanksgiving break thinking and seeking advice.
“I got a lot of help from my family, previous coaches and Sasho,” Downing said. “Sasho told me I need to get stronger and bring up my leadership. Those are things I can work on here.”
So Downing decided to stay in school at least one more year. He would like to redeem himself for this season, when he performed below his expectations and found the professional issue distracting.
“It screwed with my consistency,” said Downing. “I didn’t think I could go into MLS after a season like this.”
Training and competing with the U-20s last year put Downing behind schedule academically, so he took a class during the winter break to begin catching up.
Downing cannot say for certain that he will leave college after next season.
“It really depends on what kind of year I have next season,” Downing said. “It’s definitely not going to be on my mind as much this fall. I’ve worried about everything you can worry about. Now I know what I need to work on and I’ll be focused. … I think another year might send me in a better direction.”
Twellman: Europe entices
The gregarious and upbeat Twellman remained so through the second week of January even though he had no decision and MLS awaited his word. With tryout offers from Denmark and Germany on his plate, Twellman still saw three options before him ù Europe, MLS and school.
“You have to look at it from two perspectives ù as a student and as an athlete,” Twellman said. “If you are trying to progress as a soccer player, you need to go pro, but the timing has to be right.”
The forward scored 16 goals as a freshman, 12 as a sophomore and four goals in four games in Nigeria.
“Getting to Europe for an American ù you basically have to go over and try out,” Twellman said. “Most times you don’t have a contract. They don’t go by names or statistics over there ù it’s what you do for us today.”
Being a forward helps his chances of making it in Europe, Twellman said, because teams are always looking for goalscorers. But it does not assure him anything.
“It’s a gamble, definitely, but it is no matter where you go,” Twellman said. “And the plusses are so great [in Europe]. I’m sitting here trying to decide and the best game I can see on TV is the Champions League.”
Twellman’s father, Tim, left college during his senior year to sign with the NASL and played for the Minnesota Kicks and the Chicago Sting.
“These are different times, but it’s definitely helped having my father around because he’s been through it,” Twellman said. “As a college student, you think you know how it is, but you really don’t.”
One of Twellman’s top concerns is having scholarship money. He said he is committed to earning a degree. Another factor tugging him toward MLS is the comfort of living in the United States.
Yet with all this swirling in his head and deadlines approaching, Twellman sounded calm.
“I’m not nervous. I don’t stress about much,” Twellman said. “Besides, this is what you dream about as a kid.”
by Soccer America associate editor Will Kuhns