Caleb Goldberg has experienced highs and lows throughout his soccer career, but no more so than the last two years. His story of redemption began in December 2001. Caleb is a Center Back through and through, playing in that position most of his career. Due to a lack of scoring, Caleb was asked to move to striker to see if he could generate some offense. Since he was not playing high school, he had three months to adjust to this position change. “This made soccer fun again. Since we were not a great team, our defense was under pressure constantly. If we allowed one goal, it was difficult to recover from. I felt the pressure level drop significantly and I started to truly enjoy soccer again”, stated Mr. Goldberg.
Caleb started off with an amazing debut, scoring a hat trick in a 6-2 win in the ECNL Round Rock Showcase in March, 2022. He went on to have a very successful tournament, which geared him up for the remainder of the ECNL season. From that point on, things did not go as planned and Caleb was injured in the second game of the ECNL spring season. After weeks of suffering and trying to play on a bum leg, he was diagnosed with a torn groin muscle and out the remainder of the year. Compounding the pain was a coaching change and, with good reasons, a need to change teams and cultures, but was unable to tryout. Caleb signed with an ECRL team without trying out because the changes of him playing at full speed in 2022-2023 were not high and he needed a rehab year.
Caleb spent April – December rehabbing and playing in limited minutes in non-league games to get his stamina back. He was unable to join his high school team due to his injury and did not play at full speed until April 2023. His ECRL team finished second and made the playoffs, with Caleb contributing at numerous positions. In the last tournament of the year, Caleb played his natural position of Center Back due to need and his coach told him he made a mistake not playing him there all year and he was the best center back he had.
After the season, Caleb was determined to play ECNL once again. “I needed the year to rehab but the competition level was not up to par. I played on an amazing team with great teammates, but I knew I needed to be challenged.” Caleb spent the two weeks of tryouts looking at numerous teams, all the while dealing with significant heartbreak: his grandfather was very sick for months (passed away the last day of school, 2023). “This was tough to deal with and stay focused on tryouts. I felt physically stronger than ever but mentally, I was in shambles. Seeing my grandfather deteriorate and how it impacted my father, definitely impacted my focus. My dad helped me through this and he helped me compartmentalize everything in order to regain focus.”
Tryouts were grueling (usually two per night for two teams nightly) and he made it through FC Dallas cuts (over 200 kids at tryouts) to land on the FC-Dallas White ECNL team. His coach had him to one practice and within 15 minutes, offered him a spot on the team. His ECRL tried very hard to retain him, even offering him a ½ scholarship, but it was time to move on to a new challenge.
Caleb had a very successful season in 2023-2024 on both the club and high school fronts. Although his ECNL team was not successful record-wise, Caleb came in and started at Center Back for the season. He was the only player to roster every game and played more minutes than any other teammate (97% of all minutes played for the season), easily becoming the most dependable player on the team. His team had a successful Dallas Cup, advancing to the knockout round and played every minute and had an assist. Caleb will be considered for all-ECNL honors for his standout play.
Caleb also decided it was time to play high school soccer. One of his friends on the team said he would not make varsity. His friends’ dad stated he would start immediately. Caleb went into tryouts in November with an open mind and fresh perspective. Within 15 minutes of the first tryout, his coach moved him to the varsity group and he never left. In the first exhibition game, he played 75 of 90 minutes and rarely left the field all year. Caleb necessitated the move of one of the all-district center backs to midfield due to his stellar play. He would cover the opposing team’s best offensive player and played all of the defensive positions, moving where he was needed (including spot minutes at striker). Caleb was honored with Honorable Mention All-District and was named his school’s newcomer of the year. As a team, Plano West was one game away from making the playoffs. Caleb helped lead his team to its highest ranking in the state ever (#1 for two weeks after beating #1 Allen High School in January). Caleb is returning to his team as one of the team captains and main on-field leaders for his senior year.
Caleb Goldberg’s story is not finalized; this is just beginning. Caleb has an interest in playing in college but also has diverse interests in photography, business and entrepreneurship. “I am excited about my senior year, whatever path it takes. No matter what, I will be successful in whatever path I take.”
