Dr. Sean Calloway, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon at Orthopedic Specialists with Franciscan Physician Network, holds the 2023 CONCACAF Boys’ Under-15 Championship trophy following the U.S. team’s win on Aug. 14 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Calloway, with offices on the southside of Indianapolis, Greenwood and Mooresville, traveled with the team to serve as team physician.
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The celebration was on, as the young team hoisted the golden trophy above their heads.
In the scorching heat of the Dominican Republic, the United States U-15 Youth Men’s National Soccer Team had just vanquished their heated rivals from Mexico. Claiming the CONCACAF championship, they proved to be the best under-15 team in North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
And among the revelers, one of Johnson County’s own was cheering from the sidelines.
Dr. Sean Calloway, a Franciscan Health orthopedic surgeon, served as the team physician during the team’s championship run. Not only did he care for sore muscles, stomach bugs and injuries sustained during the games, but he helped maintain the team’s mental health during the tournament.
The opportunity to be on and off the field as they vied for the trophy was exhilarating, as was the challenge of keeping the team healthy.
“Making sure that everyone stayed healthy was a testament to the overall training staff and coaching staff too for keeping them all healthy,” Calloway said. “And watching the matches was fun. These kids are 13, 14, 15 years old and playing at a level beyond anything any of us had done.”
In addition to working with U.S. Soccer, Calloway has served as a head orthopedic surgeon for the Indianapolis Indians, head team physician for Martinsville High School athletics, and assistant team physician for teams ranging from the Los Angeles Galaxy and the Memphis Grizzlies to Pepperdine University and Santa Monica College.
He currently works through Orthopedic Specialists with Franciscan Physician Network on the southside of Indianapolis, Greenwood and Mooresville, helping people of all kinds with injuries to their shoulders, knees and hips.
And when he can, he takes a short leave to work with championship-level soccer teams.
The Valpairso native attended college at the University of Notre Dame before earning his medical degree from the Indiana University School of Medicine. Following a residency at Campbell Clinic in Memphis, Tennessee, he earned a fellowship with Kerlan-Jobe Institute Santa Monica Orthopaedic Group in Santa Monica, California.
There, he had his first encounter with the United States Soccer Federation.
“The doctor I worked for in Santa Monica were the head team docs for the national team,” he said. “So I helped cover the L.A. Galaxy out there, and some of the closed scrimmages the national team had.”
Calloway completed his fellowship, and fortuitously, an opportunity opened up to travel for two weeks with the under-19 U.S. women’s team to China. He took the trip, and from that point on, was part of the pool of physicians invited to serve with various men’s, women’s and youth teams.
The trip with the U-15 youth team in August was his fifth excursion with U.S. Soccer, mostly working with youth on the men’s and women’s sides.
“It’s a lot of fun. It’s still the youth side, they’re still in middle school or high school. They’re elite athletes, but they still haven’t hit the status of being a professional. They’re normal kids, and go through normal kid stuff,” he said. “As a washed-up soccer player who never touched that level, it’s fun to interact, talk soccer and kick the ball around.”
The 2023 CONCACAF Boy’s Under-15 tournament was held from Aug. 6 to 13 across the Dominican Republic, though the team traveled to Florida earlier in July in preparation. Calloway joined the group in advance of its first match on Aug. 6, against Qatar.
The U.S. side swept its three group stage matches against Qatar, Cuba and Haiti. They bested Guatemala 4-1 in the quarterfinals, and beat Haiti again in the semifinals 1-0.
That set up a championship match against its rivals from Mexico. When the final whistle blew, the U.S. was victorious 4-2.
The intense schedule kept Calloway and the entire training staff busy.
“They were playing a lot of matches. Even though these are elite athletes, they have them play back-to- back-to-back games. Each of them are playing at least half of each game,” he said. “The training staff was excellent, and I was working alongside all of the trainers to make sure they’re recovering the way they should.”
Throughout the tournament, Calloway was focused on anything medically related. With his orthopedic background, it made sense that he’d pay close attention to sprains and strains on ankles, knees, hips and other parts of the musculoskeletal system.
But often his treatment went beyond that realm.
“It’s anything medically related. If someone drank water or ate a bad piece of lettuce, we’re working with stomach issues. These kids have been away from their families for up to three weeks at that point, so you’re dealing with some of those issues, too, where you’re talking about it and the psychology side of things,” he said. “Having M.D. behind my name means I take care of all different issues.”
Calloway is back in central Indiana now, caring for his patients and tending to the orthopedic needs of local residents. He is happy to be back, even if the chance to work with elite athletes through U.S. Soccer is a nice changeup as a health care provider.
“The main thing is, it’s a fun change of pace,” he said. “You can get bogged down in the day-to-day routine just like any job. It can get routine. To be able to do these trips, it’s a chance to do something different. I’m still using the M.D. behind my name, still using the sports medicine side of things. But to branch out to make me a better surgeon and better person has been a lot of fun.”
AT A GLANCE
Dr. Sean Calloway
Who: A board-certified orthopedic surgeon at Orthopedic Specialists with Franciscan Physician Network, Indianapolis
Office locations: 5255 E. Stop 11 Road, Suite 300, Indianapolis; 1703 West Stones Crossing Road, Suite 210, Greenwood; 1199 Hadley Road, Mooresville
Education: Bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame; medical degree from Indiana University School of Medicine; residency at Campbell Clinic, Memphis, Tennessee; fellowship with Kerlan-Jobe Institute Santa Monica Orthopaedic Group, Santa Monica, California
Athletics: Calloway is a team physician for the United States Soccer Federation, where he has traveled internationally with United States youth national soccer teams
Information: seancallowaymd.com
