Written by Will Ridgard
The 2016 season was a strange experience for Richmond Kickers Player/Assistant Coach Michael Callahan.
A regular starter at City Stadium for the previous five seasons, Callahan was limited to mostly substitute appearances in 2016 as he mainly focused on the coaching side of things.
And, as he explains, the season was different, yet enjoyable.
“I didn’t know what to expect going into the season,” said Callahan.
“It was a lot different from previous seasons, and it was an incredible experience to be involved in the tactical talks and the game planning – I think my relationships with Leigh (Cowlishaw) and Sascha (Görres) grew stronger as the season went on.
“However, I did miss playing, and it was tough not being out there (on the field). If I’m honest, before the season started, I expected to be in the starting line-up for most of the games, but I had to settle for the bench for most games.
“My playing time decreased, and I found myself thinking and focusing purely on the coaching by the end of the season – something that surprised me.”
Callahan’s views on Kickers’ 2016 season are simple – they should have done better.
“It was a fairly decent season, but we fell a little bit short of where we wanted to end up,” he continued.
“First and foremost, we missed out on getting ourselves a home playoff game. We had a good chance to do so and got ourselves in the position to, but just couldn’t win some key games towards the end of the regular season.
“It was a tough draw going to Louisville (in the playoffs, a 2-0 defeat), and the red card after four minutes, was certainly not in the plan.
“But the team put in an unbelievable performance considering the circumstances, and we could have won the game. Our defensive work and organization was excellent, but we also had chances to win the game. I don’t think anyone can knock the effort and the desire the team put in – not just in this game, but the whole season.”
Callahan only has high praise for his 2016 teammates as he explains: “The group was very hard-working and enjoyable to train with. Everyone got along on and off the field and the atmosphere was very good.
“A lot of the feedback we received from the players at the end of the season was very positive and optimistic. Everyone is playing for the club because they enjoy doing so, and love playing in front of the awesome fans at City Stadium.
“There is an electric atmosphere at the stadium on game days now, something I have seen expand rapidly in my six seasons at the club.”
