Angelo Calfo

Last updated

Angelo Calfo
Personal information
Full name Angelo Calfo Junior
Date of birth (1998-11-04) November 4, 1998 (age 25)
Place of birth Seattle, Washington
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) [1]
Position(s) Center back, defensive midfielder
Youth career
0000–2011 Blue Arrows
2011–2012 Seattle United
2012–2018 Crossfire Premier
2018–2019 RIASA
College career
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2020–23 Gonzaga Bulldogs 33 (1)
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2021 Portland Timbers U23 9 (0)
2022 Ballard FC 10 (0)
2023 Flower City Union 16 (0)
International career
2019 Cascadia 2 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of May 12, 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of May 12, 2023

Angelo Calfo Jr. (born November 4, 1998) is an American professional soccer player who plays for Flower City Union. [2]

Contents

Personal life

Calfo was born in Seattle, Washington.

Youth career

Crossfire

Calfo started his youth career with local side Blue Arrows before spending the majority of his time at Redmond based club Crossfire Premier with head coach Bernie James. [3]

Italy

In 2011 Calfo was selected by Marco Monti to train with Inter Milan in Italy where he did so for two weeks. [3] During this time Calfo trained with the U14 academy team at Centro Sportivo Giacinto Facchetti . [3]

High school

Calfo attended the Seattle Academy of Arts and Sciences for one year before pursuing online school. [4] [5]

RIASA

In 2018 Calfo travelled to Leeds, England to join the RIASA program under coach John Hendrie. [6] During this time he played against Sheffield Wednesday U23, Hibs U23 and Finnish side AC Oulu. In a 2020 interview with The Athletic , Calfo explained why he joined the programme. [7]

In his second year he captained the side to the finals of the JFC Youth Championships in Shenzhen, China. [5]

College career

Calfo returned to the United States in 2020 to join the Gonzaga Bulldogs in NCAA Division I, [8] where he was captain for three years and was named in the West Coast Conference All Academic Team for 2020. [9]

Senior career

Cascadia

Whilst in the UK he was called up by the Cascadian Football Federation, captained by James Riley. Calfo made two appearances against The Chagos Islands and Darfur respectively, scoring one goal. [10]

Portland Timbers U23

In 2021, during his off-season with Gonzaga he played 9 matches with Portland Timbers U23 where he was also captain. [11] He made his début on June 4, 2021, in a 3–0 win over OVF Alliance at John Chambers Field. [12] Calfo continued to start at center back, completing 90 minutes against Lane United FC, [13] as well as the return fixture at OVF Alliance [14] and a 2–0 win at home to PDX FC, where he picked up a booking. [15]

In total he played 9 matches for the club, [16] where the team were USL League Two 2021 Northwest Division Champions. [17]

Ballard FC

The following year, he captained Ballard FC in their inaugural season. [18] [19] In total he played 10 games for The Bridges, completing 90 minutes each time, [20] all at center half. [21] His final appearance came on July 10, 2022, away to Capital FC. [22]

Flower City Union

After a successful trial, Calfo agreed a deal to join Flower City Union for the 2023 season in Rochester NY. [2] He made his first league appearance on April 1, 2023, in a 1–0 defeat against Maryland Bobcats at Maryland SoccerPlex. [23] and registered his first assist three days later in a US Open Cup match against Manhattan SC. [24] [25] His first start came on April 22 in a 1–0 loss to Chattanooga FC. [26]

He continued to start, first at Segra Field against Loudoun United in the third round of the US Open Cup, [27] then again against Maryland Bobcats at Rochester Community Sports Complex Stadium [28] and Los Angeles Force.

On November 5, 2023, Calfo played the full 120 minutes in defensive midfield as Flower City Union beat Chattanooga in extra time to reach the NISA Championship final. [29] [30] He then started the final and played 90 minutes as the team went on to win the 2023 NISA Championship against Michigan Stars FC at Romeo High School Stadium. [31]

Style of play

Calfo is right footed and plays as a midfielder or center back. [32] He is known for his leadership, captaining Gonzaga, Timbers U23 and Ballard FC, playing predominantly as a central defender due to his physical presence and ability to read the game. [19] His technique, awareness, passing range and ability to dictate possession, combined with his aggressive tackling encouraged Flower City Union head coach to deploy him as a defensive midfielder or regista .

Calfo attributes much of his own playing style to street football and futsal.

Coaching career

Calfo began his coaching career in 2017 as head coach of Seattle Celtic Under 9s. [33]

Media

In 2020 Calfo was featured in The Athletic, where he discussed his experience in Leeds. [7]

In the summer of 2022, he was interviewed by The Seattle Times regarding his contribution to Ballard FC's inaugural season. [19]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueNational cupEuropeOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Portland Timbers U23 2021 USL League Two 9000000090
Ballard FC 2022 USL League Two100000000100
Flower City Union 2023 NISA 16020004 [lower-alpha 1] 0220
Career total350200040410
  1. One appearance in the Independent Cup and three appearances in the NISA Championship Playoffs.

Honors

Portland Timbers U23

Flower City Union

Individual

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References

  1. Angelo Calfo | MLS Profile MLS Soccer. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  2. 1 2 Flower City Union Roster | Angelo Calfo Flower City Union. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 Crossfire Players and Coaches Travel to Italy Goal WA, October 30, 2011.
  4. Seattle Academy | Athletes | Angelo Calfo MaxPreps. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  5. 1 2 2022 Men's Soccer Roster | Angelo Calfo Bio Go Zags. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  6. Leeds RIASA USA The Athletic. Walker, Michael, June 13, 2020.
  7. 1 2 The academy in Yorkshire teaching 60 young Americans all aspects of football The Athletic. Walker, Michael, June 13, 2020.
  8. 2022 Men's Soccer Roster | Angelo Calfo Go Zags. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  9. Calfo Named to WCCs All Academic Team Go Zags. December 13, 2022.
  10. Meet the Cascadia Side Who Will Play Their First Ever Home Game Prost Amerika. July 19, 2019.
  11. CFC Atletico | Players | Angelo Calfo CFCAtletico 2021 Stats, retrieved April 18, 2023.
  12. Portland Timbers U23 OVF Alliance AZ Score. June 4, 2021.
  13. USL League Two Game Summary USL League Two. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  14. USL League Two Game Summary USL League Two. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  15. USL League Two Game Summary USL League Two. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  16. USL League Two Game Schedule USL League Two. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  17. USL League Two Standings USL League Two.Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  18. Ballard FC an Inaugural Season to Remember Go Ballard FC, September 7, 2022.
  19. 1 2 3 Ballard FC look to continue Surreal Run in USL2 Playoffs Seattle Times. Evans, Jayda. July 28, 2022.
  20. Angelo Calfo Game Log USL League Two. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  21. Angelo Calfo | Player Stats.
  22. Game Summary USL League Two.Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  23. Maryland Bobcats FC | Match Center Maryland Bobcats FC. Match Center. April 1, 2023.
  24. US Open Cup Round 2 The Cup. April 5, 2023.
  25. Football Player | Angelo Calfo ESPN.co.uk. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  26. Chattanooga FC 1–0 Flower City Union | NISA FIFA.com. April 22, 2023.
  27. 2023 US Open Cup, third round ESPN. April 26, 2023.
  28. Maryland Bobcats FC | Match Center Maryland Bobcats FC. Match Center. May 13, 2023.
  29. Match Center NISA Official. November 5th, 2023.
  30. flower city union hopes to celebrate cinderella playoff run with nisa title NISA Official. November 9th, 2023.
  31. cinderella men flower city union caps remarkable playoff run wins nisa championship Lewis, Michael, Front Row Soccer. November 11th, 2023.
  32. Angelo Calfo ESPN. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  33. Puget Sound Premier League Demosphere. Retrieved May 18, 2023.