It’s a strange limbo period out at Orlando Pride practices these summer months. As nine players have been plucked off the team to compete a continent away in the FIFA Women’s World Cup. As our Despina Barton explains it’s one area player who is setting the tone and carving out her own role…in the pros that is:
Bridget Callahan radiates an energy that is so infectious around these Pride headquarters.
“I enjoy working with her,” Pride Head Coach Marc Skinner said. “She actually brings a smile to training. She’s like a little ball of energy.”
The 23-year-old is positive, authentic and unapologetically silly.
“Oh, this is hard. How would I describe myself – I would say I am a goober, just a goober,” Callahan said.
Urban Dictionary says a goober is a kind hearted, rather oblivious goofball. But you can add another title to Callahan’s name, professional soccer player, something that wasn’t on her radar growing up.
“It was really a dream that I really never had or thought that I was going to do,” Callahan added. “I never thought I’d be a professional soccer player.”
But two years removed from her playing days at UCF, the Florida native finds herself still immersed in the game. Spending steamy summer mornings, training alongside some of the best players in the country.
“I kind of just say that I got a bit lucky,” Callahan explained. “Lloyd he actually called me I think New Years Day asked me to come back into preseason this year, and I wasn’t expecting that either. And I was like ‘yeah, sure!’
Luck had something to do with it, but Bridget proved her worth to the staff after she was initially signed on as a training player last season. This year she was asked to come back on a full NWSL contract.
“It can be technical, tactical, physical but most importantly it’s physiological and I think she has the mental resilience to be a player that can make things happen,” Skinner said of Callahan’s skillset.
And it’s this arena where she is showcasing what she has to offer, knowing this chance wouldn’t have existed if they weren’t in a World Cup year.
“It’s a really good opportunity, not only for me there’s just a bunch of us in the locker room who really have never stepped foot on a NWSL pitch since the last couple of games. So it’s just an opportunity we can seize and make the most of.”
And if she can do that, whether she intended to be here or not, she has a shot to really leave a footprint on the club.
“We’re defining what this club means at the minute because of how new the club is it really hasn’t defined where it wants to be, what it’s going to evolve into,” Skinner added.
“So she’s part of that process of having people that love and belong to the club and the energy she shows on the field, it literally infects everyone else.”