Calichman, Dan

Calichman was a member of the U.S. National Team in the 1990s. He appeared in three international games, and was named the 1996 MLS Defender of the Year. In Major League Soccer, Calichman played for the Los Angeles Galaxy (whre he was a three-year captain of the team), the New England Revolution, and the San Jose Earthquakes. In February 2001, Calichman was released by San Jose. During the 2001 season, he played for the Charleston Battery of the A-League. Dan appeared for the U.S. National team three times in 1997 during the U.S. Cup.

Birth and Death Dates:
b. Feb. 21, 1968

Career Highlights:
While a student at Walt Whitman High School, Calichman was a three-sport captain (soccer, basketball, and lacrosse), and he was all-Long Island in soccer his senior year. At Williams College, Dan captained the soccer team (for which he played defender) and was captain of the lacrosse team as well. Calichman was named first team All-America his final three seasons at Williams, and during his sophomore and junior years, his team won the East Coast Athletic Conference title.

In 1990, Calichman jumped at the chance to play in a professional league in Japan, where his brother, Richard, lived in Japan. After visiting the country for two weeks, Dan was offered a generous contract to play for the Mazda soccer club in Hiroshima. One month after graduating from Williams, he was off to Japan. Dan said: "The pay was excellent for a 22-year old kid just out of college. At Williams, students were getting $10,000 as signing bonuses to become investment bankers, and what I was paid dwarfed what they got."

Calichman played for 4 season in Japan, the first two for Mazda, helping them get promoted from the second division to the first, and then to the new J League. He then moved to the Hiroshima San Frecce Football team in the J League. Dan was the only American to play in the J League until then and became popular with the home fans. He said: "They made me a Brazilian. I was called simply 'Danny'" After four years of professional soccer, however, "Danny" was ready to return to the United States, and concentrate on non-soccer aspects of his life (he thought of becoming a veterinarian).

Calichman returned to the U.S. in 1994, and joined the Los Angles Galaxy of Major League Soccer in 1996 (after working in the New England Revolution ticket office while attending Harvard School of Business). He played for the Galaxy for three seasons, captaining the team all three years. In 1996, Dan was named MLS Defender of the Year, appeared in the All-Star game, and led the Galaxy to the MLS Cup that year. In 1998, he broke his right leg and missed much of the season, but returned to action by the end of the season. In 2000, he was traded mid-season from New England to San Jose, and played in a total of 20 games, all starts (he had one assist for San Jose).

Origin:
Flushing, New York

Career Dates:
Calichman played at Williams College. He played professionally in Japan for four years, then returned to the U.S. to play in Major League Soccer for the Los Angeles Galaxy, the New England Revolution, and the San Jose Earthquakes.

Physical description:
6'0", 180 pounds

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