JACKSONVILLE, Fla, – This offseason the Jacksonville Armada FC remade their roster with players from all over the globe. However it would be hard to find someone with more stamps on their passport than goalkeeper Caleb Patterson-Sewell.
“I’ve been in Australia growing up, Italy, Belgium, England, Portugal and Italy and Romania for a short time,” said Patterson-Sewell. “So yeah I’ve bounced around a little bit.”
With only a handful of games left in the spring season it appears that Patterson-Sewell has found a home in Jacksonville. He may wear the No. 1 on his back but his biggest contribution to the Armada has been the number zero. They already have more shutouts (4) than they had all of last season.
“You’ve got a guy that’s coming in with great maturity and great experience and with experience comes confidence,” said Armada head coach Mark Lowry. So to have played in three different countries, three different time zones and on three different continents. You come in with an understanding of the game and a confidence that’s infectious throughout the group.”
Even at a young age there was no doubt how Patterson-Sewell planned to make a living.
“There was a math class and the teacher called my mom,” said Patterson-Sewell who grew up in Australia after being born in Hendersonville, Tennessee. "She said Caleb got a B on his math but he said he didn’t need an A because he’s going to play soccer and doesn’t need to know about math. So I guess you could say this has always been my dream to play soccer.”
Playing the game he loves is only half of Patterson-Sewell’s dream. As a kid he felt there weren’t enough opportunities to pursue his passion of soccer. So he decided to take matters into his own hands and created a youth soccer academy in Tennessee.
“For me it’s kind of like my little baby so to speak,” said Patterson-Sewell. “It’s something I’m very hands on with. It’s a way to give back to the younger generation and try to help them through the programs we run. I think the grass roots coaching in America has a little bit to go in terms of where they’re at and how these kids are being trained.”
Although he misses Australia, Patterson-Sewell is pretty confident that America will be home for good.