ORLANDO, Fla. – In the days leading to the 2018 preseason, midfielder Dani Weatherholt’s phone buzzed with notifications from one of the Orlando Pride’s newest faces.
Bridget Callahan, the Pride’s only trialist, was nervous entering her first professional preseason. Fortunately for the former University of Central Florida midfielder, she found comfort in Weatherholt, a familiar face she first met on a volunteer trip with Soccer Without Borders last year.
“It was good coming in here and actually knowing someone,” Callahan said after training on Feb. 20. “… And I’ve reached out to [Weatherholt], like, in the middle of the night, texted her. Did before preseason, you know, with the nerves and everything.
“But I’ve kinda latched onto her. Just, she’s taken me under her wing, and it’s been really sweet of her.”
Those nerves are feelings Weatherholt is all too familiar with. The third-year Pride player recalls she had similar emotions when she first joined the National Women’s Soccer League from Santa Clara University in California two seasons ago.
Now, coming off her best season, so far, as a pro, Weatherholt finds herself in a comfortable position to become a leader.
Last season, Weatherholt nearly doubled her minutes from her rookie season, tallying 1,486 minutes in 19 appearances and 17 starts, and recorded her first-ever pro goal and first-ever pro assist.
“I’m going into my third year, so I know the ropes. I’ve been here, so I finally get to take someone under my wing,” Weatherholt said after training on Feb. 21. “… I knew exactly how she felt because, going into my first preseason, I was so nervous. You know, I was playing with players that I looked up to my whole life.”
Callahan is no stranger to success. She’s coming off a four-year collegiate career with one of the best programs in the country, most recently going undefeated in American Athletic Conference play and ranking among the nation’s top 10 in her senior season.
In total, Callahan recorded nine goals and two assists in 5,071 minutes, 75 appearances and 56 starts for the Knights.
The Hollywood, Florida, native’s name wasn’t called during the 2018 NWSL College Draft, but Callahan also wasn’t expecting to be drafted. Instead, akin to an everyday-job application, she sent in her resume-like highlights to head coach Tom Sermanni and his staff to analyze, and, soon after the draft ended, she was invited to camp.
Perhaps unbeknownst to her, Callahan received some behind-the-scenes help. Weatherholt knew the kind of player Callahan was and put in a good word for her.
“When she finished school, she told me she wanted to play after, so I talked to coaches, said, you know, keep an eye out; this player’s really talented,” Weatherholt recalled. “So she sent in her clip, and they really liked what they saw. She’s a very technical player, and she’s a very composed player.”
So far, there’s nothing expected of Callahan in her first few days of training. She joins the Pride with a “head down, work hard” mentality, knowing that that’s all she can do at this stage.
Callahan’s role, however, could expand as the preseason progresses. The Pride will soon be without national-team players from the United States, Brazil, Australia and Portugal for most of the preseason, as national-team duty for the SheBelieves Cup and the Algarve Cup beckons.
In Callahan, Sermanni sees a skilled, confident addition.
“When we looked at video of Bridget and watched her in games, she’s just a good football player,” Sermanni said after training on Feb. 21. “I think she’s got a good understanding of the game. I think she’s comfortable in possession. I think she’s very confident.
“So she’s come into the team, now, and she’s comfortable to ask for the ball, to show for the ball, and she’s just a good, all-around footballer.”
The Pride will play their lone trialist’s former team in their second preseason match of 2018, but Callahan could reunite with some of her former teammates sooner than that, as Sermanni has eluded to inviting more Knights to preseason camp.
“It’s gonna be pretty weird playing against my team. I actually just stopped practicing with them, but it’ll be fun,” Callahan said. “I mean, those are, like, my teammates, my best friends. So, it’ll be fun. I’m looking forward to it. Looking forward to playing against my coaches as well. They know how I play, so it’ll be interesting.”
Orlando plays its first preseason match on Wednesday at Florida State University. Admission is free to the public.
For more on Callahan and the Pride, as they continue into their preseason, follow Victor Tan on Twitter at @NDR_VictorTan.
To contact Victor, you can email him at vtan@newdayreview.com.
