TORONTO — Veteran goalkeeper Caleb Patterson-Sewell, who rejoined Toronto FC II as a player-coach last May, has announced his retirement as a player.
The 34-year-old was born in Tennessee but grew up in Australia before embarking on a soccer career that took him around the globe.
"After 16 years playing professional soccer, the time has come to call it a day," he said in a social media post. "I come (from) a very rural part of Australia (Gatton) and I had a dream of playing soccer professionally and specifically in Europe. All things told, I had no business trying to become a soccer player, it was that far-fetched.
"With the incredible support of my family I was able to live out my dream."
Patterson-Sewell said growing up, his mother would drive him 14-plus hours to train with a goalkeeper coach because there weren't any where they lived in rural Queensland.
He went on to play in Australia, Canada, Portugal and the U.S.
Patterson-Sewell’s youth career began with the Toowoomba Raiders in Australia.
He spent time in the youth systems of Belgium's Anderlecht, and England's Sheffield Wednesday and Liverpool before signing with the Cleveland City Stars of the USL Second Division for the 2007 season.
Patterson-Sewell went on to spent time with the New York Red Bulls, Carolina RailHawks, Rayo OKC and Jacksonville Armada in the U.S., Atletico Clube de Portugal, Vitoria Setubal, Gil Vicente FC and SC Farense in Portugal and TFC II.
Among his accomplishments, he earned a Goalkeeper of the Year award nomination playing for Atletico Clube de Portugal during the 2011-2012 season and set Jacksonville’s shutout sheet record (10) in 2017.
He served as Major League Soccer’s pool goalkeeper for the 2020 season. Prior to that he spent two seasons with Toronto FC II, appearing in 25 matches and recording five clean sheets during the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
Toronto signed him In February 2018 after acquiring his rights from the New York Red Bulls in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft.
"Lastly, this game has allowed me to start my family. I met my wife Yandra in Portugal, from there we now have our two beautiful boys Theo and Ollie," Patterson-Sewell said in his post. "This by far is the biggest gift the game has given me."
Patterson-Sewell was part of Mike Munoz's coaching staff with Toronto FC II. But Munoz was appointed the Los Angeles Galaxy's director of methodology and development last month, one of several TFC staff to follow former coach Greg Vanney to Los Angeles.
Fluent in Portuguese, Patterson-Sewell was able to serve as a translator for TFC's Brazilian fullback Auro Jr.
Patterson-Sewell did not specify what's next but it appears he is moving on from Toronto.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 2, 2022
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
