Less than 6 months ago, Cailin Bloom, a senior at Dixon High School, put pen to paper and started a future that many can only dream of. Committing to one of the nation’s best women’s soccer programs in Berkeley, CA, in a class many say is the best recruitment class in the country, Bloom will be playing alongside tomorrow’s next Alex Morgan. Bloom herself could be tomorrow’s next Alex Morgan.

At 5’11’’, Bloom is slightly taller than the average women’s soccer player, the perfect trait for a goalie or in her case, a defender. In fact, Bloom is taller than the US women’s national team’s main starting center backs, Becky Sauerbrunn and Abby Dahlkemper (both 5’7’’), and personally, I’d say this high school senior is quicker and more agile than the two national team players. With game time and experience, she’ll quickly build other important traits of a center back, such as spatial awareness, quick decision-making, and communication. Going off of her answers to my questions, I’d say she already has the maturity and intelligence that will quickly win her coaches’ and teammates' trust.

In conclusion, keep an eye on this athlete as she takes to the field in a Cal jersey in the fall of 2021 and, just as famous Cal Berkeley alumnae Alex Morgan once did as well, in a California Storm jersey in the summer of 2021.

Tell us your soccer story. Why did you start playing soccer and why are you still playing today?

I started playing soccer when I was 7 and I played for the Dixon recreation soccer program. I played here for two years and then played for Vacaville United for two more years. Then I went to play for Davis Legacy and I have been there for 6 years. During my time with Legacy I have had the chance to play in the Norcal Player Development Program, where I had the chance to represent Northern California in the Gothia Cup in Sweden. The team finished as runners up. I have signed a letter of intent to play at UC Berkeley starting in the 2021-22 school year.

I started to play because my sister was playing and I wanted to play too. I had the chance to practice with her team of older kids and played indoor soccer with them. I really liked the sport and when my friends went to play competitively, I went too. When high school soccer moved to a winter sport I had to choose between soccer and basketball. I played both competitively and liked both sports, but I could only do one. I had just moved to center back and fell in love with the position. I was starting to get a lot of attention in that position and had the chance to go to a few regional camps for the NTC.

You currently play for Dixon High School and have already committed to UC Berkeley. What was it about Cal’s program you most liked and was it your dream school?

When I was in middle school I went to a striker camp at Cal and had the chance to see the school and meet the coaches. That made me aware of the school and the program. When I was a freshman and they started to recruit me, I was excited for the chance to go on a visit. The chance to play at the Pac-12 level and to go to one of the best schools in the country was a dream come true. The fact that it is so close to home and my parents can watch me play made the choice easy.

Your coach at Cal Storm, Jamie Levoy, says you prefer playing center back, but you have the speed and agility to really play up top. What is it about the center back position that has influenced your desire to be on the back line?

From the time I moved from striker to center back I felt more comfortable because I could use my strength and speed to get into tackles and win the ball back. The physical part of defense fits my personality better and I have grown into learning how to be a more vocal part of the defense. The skills I learned as a striker helped me to predict what forwards were going to do, and they help me when I need to bring the ball up the field to start our offense.

2020 was a really different year, and really upended a lot of athletes, especially young athletes. How did it impact your game, and what did you have to do to make sure you maintained fitness.

Just before the quarantine I had finished high school soccer and moved right into competitive play. The start of the pandemic helped me to heal and let my body rest from games. For the first month I was on my own and I worked out in my backyard. I came up with my own drills and I met up with some of my teammates at the track and we worked on our fitness. I was lucky to have people who could push me. After a few weeks, the Davis club started offering Zoom training a few nights per week and that helped me with my footwork. School being virtual meant I had more time and I took more interest in learning about good nutrition and fitness. I started doing yoga and strength training with the help of my dad.

Starting in the summer, Davis Legacy held socially distanced training and I kept up my daily fitness routine. I talked to some college players and learned what their fitness training is like, and I did my best to make sure I would be in shape if the season were to start. We were lucky to be able to go to Phoenix in November and I saw how much my fitness training had paid off when I was named to the Top-11 of the tournament.

Have you already connected with anyone from Cal, such as future teammates or coaches? If so, what are you looking forward to most about playing with them?

I have played against a few of the other girls in league play over the last few years, so I knew them from that. I went to Sweden with one of the other freshmen, and my whole recruiting class was on campus for our official visit in October 2019. When I first met the coaches, I knew right away that I would be happy playing for them. I had the same feeling about the girls on the team when we were on our recruiting visit.

Our recruiting class was named as one of the top recruiting classes in the country so it is very exciting to have the chance to play with so many talented players. There are a few girls from Georgia and one from Sweden so I am looking forward to seeing how they play. I think we will have a lot of fun and hopefully we will play in the NCAA tournament all four years.

You never know what the future holds, but is going professional after college a plan? If not, how long do you plan on playing soccer?

It has always been a dream to play professional soccer and hopefully even play internationally. I would love any chance to continue my soccer career after I am done at Cal.

The game of women’s soccer has made large gains the last few years, regardless of the troubles of 2020. Is there anything about that growth that stuck out or excites you most? Where do you see women’s soccer headed in the future?

I have become much more aware of the impact the women’s national team players have had on and off the field because of how much they are in the spotlight. I have seen the WPSL grow and more franchises begin, especially more in California. It is exciting to be growing up in this time when women’s soccer players are among the most recognizable women athletes. I see more players getting involved with social issues and using their platform to make a difference. It is exciting to see how much coverage there is and how they have reached out to their fans during the pandemic.

If you’re like us at Protagonist Soccer and you’re excited to watch Bloom grow as a player, make sure you bookmark Cal’s schedule to find out up-to-date game times and streaming info. To follow her California Storm career, follow them on Twitter to see up-to-date game times and streaming info.