Former LMU soccer player Noel Caliskan to make Portland Timbers debut
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Noel Caliskan, the longtime captain of the LMU men’s soccer team, is set to make his initial appearance for the Portland Timbers after being selected in the first round of the MLS Superdraft in December.
The midfielder made 65 appearances with the Lions, netting nine goals, and assisting on 13 more. The numerous awards he won while on the Bluff include WCC Player of the Year, WCC Midfielder of the Year, All-WCC First Team, All-American, Best XI of the Season, and the list goes on and on.
Noel hails from Cologne, Germany and brought his talents to the United States to improve the physicality of his game. He mentioned that in Germany the game is a lot more technical, but in the States (specifically collegiately), there is an edge to the game that is not necessarily seen in Europe.
Noel excels in the physical aspect of the game despite a smaller 150-pound frame. He is often seen battling for 50-50 balls and sliding in to clear balls in the defensive half. Oftentimes he would be the most fouled player on the field as well, adding credence to the idea of the NCAA level being a physical game.
At the next level, Caliskan is expected to play a box-to-box role. He will be expected to start breaks as the pivot man offensively as well as contribute goals but is also expected to track back and be a stopper defensively. Box-to-box midfielders need to have massive reserves of stamina as their engine is running the entire match. Caliskan should be fine in that regard as he has sat out just under 30 minutes total in his 65 appearances as a Lion.
The local connection keeps rolling as the Timbers visit BMO Stadium on March 4th to take on LAFC in the second match of the season. Three weeks later the Timbers host the LA Galaxy in another early season matchup. The Timbers host LAFC in September with the return trip to face the Galaxy coming at the end of September in the South Bay.
The Timbers narrowly missed the playoffs last season, falling one point short of Real Salt Lake. Coincidentally enough, Kurt Schmid (brother of LMU head coach Kyle Schmid) is the technical director for Real Salt Lake.
Before the season started, Caliskan mentioned that one goal for this season was to get on the scoresheet more frequently. What followed was the consistency that has become Caliskan’s calling card: the exact same number of goals as the previous two seasons.
In the MLS, consistency will be the key to seeing serious minutes. And if history repeats itself, Caliskan has a good chance to see serious minutes.
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