Michael Callahan apparently needed only a few days to adjust to a new team and a new scheme in a new city.
Callahan, added to the Richmond Kickers' roster last week, performed splendidly as a defensive midfielder in the Kickers' season-opening conquest of Orlando City. So solid were his contributions to a defense that permitted only five shots that he was selected as the Kickers' man of the match and, Tuesday, as the USL PRO player of the week.
The period of adjustment "varies from situation to situation," said Callahan, a former University of North Carolina All-American who spent the past two seasons with the Austin Aztex. "Typically," he said, "it takes time to get used to your new coach's tactics and the way your new teammates like to play."
But not in this case. "The other guys made it really easy for me," Callahan said. "A lot of them were here last season and most of them have been here for several seasons. So they know Leigh (Cowlishaw, Richmond's veteran coach) and his system very well. They can tell me what to do and when to do it, which makes it much easier for me to quickly pick up things they've been working on for a couple of years."
Callahan's immediate adjustment likely will be mental. His instincts and tendencies are those of a two-way midfielder. But his duties in Saturday's 2-0 victory over Orlando City were largely defensive. He filled the void created when Cowlishaw moved Luke Vercollone, a standout defensive midfielder, onto the Kickers' back line.
The new responsibilities "could take some getting used to, definitely," said Callahan, 24. "I'm used to going forward and being involved in the offense. That won't be my role here. The coaches have been very specific about that."
Instead, the 5-foot-9 Callahan will be asked to disrupt opposing rushes and acquire and maintain possession while his teammates are making the transition from defense to cohesive offense.
At least for the moment. Among Callahan's most valuable assets, Cowlishaw said, is versatility. Cowlishaw said the newest Kicker is "a quality individual who possesses the technical skill and tactical awareness to play several positions."
Early-spring auditions with two NASL clubs, Fort Lauderdale and Carolina, "didn't work out" for Callahan. When the Kickers invited him to play in their March 12 exhibition match against the University of Maryland, he jumped at the opportunity. He started, played 72 minutes and collected an assist in Richmond's 3-0 victory.
"I guess maybe they liked what they saw," he said.
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