FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Drake Callender may have lifted the MLS Supporters’ Shield trophy a little too high over Lionel Messi’s head. But you can’t blame the 6-foot-3 Inter Miami goalie for basking in the moment.
Messi asked Callender and 6-foot-2 midfielder Sergio Busquets to raise it together during Inter Miami’s celebration of its regular season title. But once the shield was in the air, the 5-foot-7 legend could no longer reach, so he happily clapped alongside his teammates.
“I was just ready to stand with the team and watch them go do it. But he came over and asked for some help, which I think shows how humble the guy is, and how much of a leader he is,” Callender said. “He recognized that I had a couple games that I captained this year. And to be able to lift the Supporters’ Shield in front of our fans, in front of our team and everybody that’s supporting us all year was pretty cool.
“Probably one of the biggest moments of my career.”
Just like Argentine star goalie Dibu Martinez helped Messi win the Qatar World Cup and last two Copa America titles, Callender has been a major part of Messi’s success in Major League Soccer, helping Inter Miami win two titles.
Inter Miami’s run in the MLS Cup Playoffs continues Saturday with the second match of the best-of-three, first-round series against Atlanta United. A win would advance Inter Miami to the next round after a 2-1 victory Friday.
Callender wants to help Messi and his team win the MLS Cup, which would mark their third title together and Messi’s 47th for club and country. Messi would not have Nos. 44 or 46 without the 27-year-old goalie from Sacramento.
During the Leagues Cup final last year, Callender scored the 10th penalty kick and blocked the final kick in a shootout to help Inter Miami beat Nashville 2-2 (10-9) for the club’s first title just seven matches into Messi’s arrival.
Callender also provided the crucial penalty save against MVP candidate Cucho Hernandez during Inter Miami’s Supporters’ Shield-clinching win over reigning MLS champion Columbus Crew earlier this month.
“To play the role I did in winning both of our trophies is wild for me because I’m someone who just wants what’s best for the team,” Callender said. “I know there’s never just one player that wins a trophy or wins a game, it’s a collective effort. I’ve been fortunate to help us win.”
Just don’t ask Callender which trophy or moment he prefers most.
“They’re both different. Different trophies. Different scenarios. Different circumstances. I don’t know if I could put one over the other because they mean so much to me,” Callender said. “But I might have to go with Leagues Cup because it was my first trophy that I played a role in. It’s not like one is above the other. They’re both right there.”
Callender, who co-authored a children’s book, ‘X Marks the Spot,’ about mindfulness and mental health with former teammate DeAndre Yedlin, says he tried to live with an opportunity-based mentality instead of one based in fear. You can fear the possible outcome of situations, or you can thrive in the possibility something positive will happen in adverse moments, he explained.
It was this mentality that Callender said helped him choose the correct path of Hernandez’s second penalty kick of the match that proved to be the difference for Inter Miami’s regular season title.
Hernandez’s first penalty resulted in a 61st-minute goal that cut Inter Miami’s lead to 3-2 after Callender dove to his right and the ball went in the opposite direction. For the second penalty, Callender dove to the lower right corner of the net in the 84th minute to make the stop and seal a victory over the defending champions.
“It’s probably one of the biggest saves of my career,” Callender said. “Being a goalkeeper is like a rollercoaster. The highs are really high and the lows are really low. Most of the time, you’re either the villain or the hero.
‘There’s been many times this year where I’ve been the villain. And in that moment, I had an opportunity to be a hero.”
Callender said he keeps the same mindset in his personal life. He and his wife Kyra Rogers, a former UCLA volleyball player, welcomed their daughter Berkeley in September. He hasn’t worried much about losing sleep, even in the heart of Inter Miami’s season, preferring to spend precious hours in the night with their baby.
“I’m ready for everything. I’m burping her. I’m changing diapers. I’m rocking her to sleep. Pretty much anything I can do to support my wife, I’ll do that because just going through that experience of birth is a lot,” Callender said. “I really can’t complain anymore. She brought her in here, alright, whatever you need me to do, I’ll do it.”
Callender also plays his role on a team full of superstars.
Messi and Luis Suarez became the first pair of teammates in MLS history to each score 20 goals in a season.
Busquets, arguably the greatest midfielder of all time, plays as a back-line defender so rookie Yannick Bright can play Inter Miami’s midfield.
Jordi Alba, considered one of the best left-back defenders in the sport, plays a crucial role creatively on offense and scored the game-deciding goal of Inter Miami’s 2-1 win over Atlanta during their first playoff game last week.
And Callender is the last line of defense for Inter Miami, a club on track for an historic year in pursuit of the MLS Cup title to cap Messi’s first full season with the team.
“I think we’re on a forward trajectory and we’re just viewing these plays as another opportunity to get another trophy and to prove why we got the Supporters’ Shield,” Callender said. “The place you want to be in this league is in the playoffs, and that’s where we are. So, we’re just going to do our best to win games.”
