TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Signing
New York City FC signed their first-round pick from the 2018 SuperDraft on Wednesday, adding goalkeeper Jeff Caldwell to their roster ahead of the 2018 season.
Caldwell joins NYCFC from Virginia, where he earned All-ACC honors in his final three seasons. In total, he played 61 games at UVA, accruing a record of 31-14-13 and have a goals against average of .85.
"Jeff came in to preseason after we selected him as our 19th pick in the first round of the SuperDraft and we’re really pleased with how he’s acquitted himself to the level so far," said sporting director Claudio Reyna in a statement. "He has come to NYCFC from a very successful college career and has quickly adapted to the professional environment. He’s a great kid who wants to learn - he’s all ears and eyes to take it all in and he’s very motivated to improve. Together with coach Rob Vartughian, Sean Johnson, Andre Rawls and Brad Stuver, we’re really happy with the goalkeeping group we have put together. We’re counting on Jeff to keep working and to help the team this year.”
Caldwelll will likely spend the 2018 season behind Johnson, Rawls and Stuver, learning from more seasoned professionals. He is NYCFC's tenth addition of the offseason.
"Going into preseason without a contract, there’s a lot on the line, but it was a really good experience to get to know the guys and to work my way into the group," Caldwell told NYCFC. "Right now my job is to come in to work every day with a completely open mind and to just absorb information. If I do that enough days in a row, I’ll improve, and if I do that over a long enough period of time, I’ll be successful. The team goals are trophies and I hope to be a part of that in any way I can. I hope to one day be out on the field helping directly but right now I just want to be a good teammate and to become a better goalkeeper and then to become a winner. Every single guy on this team comes from a winning background and knows what it takes to win trophies, so I just have to absorb that and become the best player I can."
