The sophomore on the North Carolina soccer team and former Green Hope High standout has been playing the sport since he was 5 years old. And he still finds as much enjoyment from it now as he did then.

“He’s very much inspired, still, and very driven,” Tar Heels coach Elmar Bolowich said. “When I was recruiting him, I could see how committed he is to the sport and the passion he plays with. He’s a player that pushes his limits, very competitive.”

When his family moved to the Triangle from Boulder, Colo., Callahan refused to settle for anything less competitive than what he had experienced in his hometown.

He wanted to be challenged. He wanted to become better. He was only in fourth grade.

His family arrived in Cary after the tryouts for Capital Area Soccer League’s Challenge league had already taken place. After growing accustomed to the level of competition back in Boulder, Callahan was devastated to learn he couldn’t continue playing at that level as soon as he came to the area.

But he did find a Challenge team. And he soon found a CASL Classic team, a program noted for its higher level of competition than Challenge.

“He’s always loved the competition,” said Callahan’s mother, Celia Callahan. “The biggest highlight for me is seeing how much he loves the game and to see him be that way at very high levels.”

His motivation and work ethic moved him through the ranks, and did so very quickly.

After being invited to join the CASL Elite program, he helped the ’86 CASL Elite Team win five consecutive N.C. State Cup titles from 2001-04 and earned a spot on the Region III Olympic Development Program — a league that served as the player pools for the national teams.

As a three-year varsity letterman at Green Hope, Callahan seemed to have made a permanent mark in the program, and with coach Andrew Chadwick. In the 2004 season, his senior year, Callahan earned all-conference and all-state honors.

But winning awards wasn’t, and still isn’t, why Callahan plays.

“He skipped our team awards night to go to his club team’s practice,” Chadwick said. “I called him and said awards night is pretty important and asked why he skipped it. He said ‘I would be missing a practice, which gives me the opportunity to get better and it’s something I love to do.’”

After accepting a position on the UNC squad, Callahan knew the level of competition would skyrocket.

It wasn’t high school any more — it was the No. 2 preseason-ranked team in the ACC, and won its way up to that spot during the regular season. The Tar Heels entered the postseason as the No. 13-ranked team in the country.

Despite the intimidating reputation of playing soccer at North Carolina, Callahan seemed to make his mark — again.

“I think I built it up a lot,” he said. “In my mind I was thinking this was just going to be incredibly hard. My expectations of the competition level was so high, and it is that high, but I think my high expectations helped me to adjust quicker.”

And that, he did.

As one of seven freshmen on the team last year, Callahan set himself apart and started 22 of the team’s 23 matches and earned a spot on the ACC All-Freshman Team.

Other than a bit of nerves, his success in soccer seems to have been smooth sailing, right? Hardly.

While at Green Hope, Falcon teammate and now UNC teammate Stephen Bickford garnered a lot of attention as the 2004 NSCAA/adidas High School National Player of the Year, the career goal-scoring leader at Green Hope and many other accolades. Though Callahan earned his share of awards, the coverage surrounding his teammate could have easily caused him to feel overlooked.

“I don’t think he ever felt in the shadow of Stephen,” Chadwick said. “They each had their better skills, but they were completely different players.”

But what seemed to impress Chadwick more was the way Callahan’s teammates embraced him as a leader.

“It’s funny because Stephen was named the national high school player of the year his senior year, but Michael was voted the team MVP,” Chadwick said. “It’s interesting that all the coaches in the country named Stephen the national player of the year, but the players thought Michael was the most valuable player on the team. The two really complemented each other.”

Last year, Callahan sat out the ACC title game against Duke with a hip pointer. The Blue Devils edged the Tar Heels in penalty kicks for the win in Cary.

This year, the Tar Heels’ season got off to a strong start but the team’s strength seemed to wear out by the end.

Callahan, who was diagnosed with mononucleosis a couple weeks before the end of the regular season, returned for the opener of last week’s ACC Tournament in Maryland, but was not up to full speed.

UNC was defeated by Wake Forest, the No. 1-seeded team in the nation, in penalty kicks 5-4 on Nov. 1. The winning penalty kick was scored by Wake Forest’s Zack Schilawski, a freshman from Cary High and a member of Callahan’s club team.

Callahan has had, and continues to face, numerous bumps along the way. But he never views the obstacles as setbacks — they seem to only make him want to play more and play harder.

Despite having missed the last two regular season games against Wake Forest and Duke and seeing fewer minutes in the ACC opener because of illness, Callahan is still tied as the team leader in goals with four and second in points with 10.

With UNC awaiting the Nov. 6 bids for the NCAA Tournament — which were not available at deadline — those numbers have the possibility of increasing if North Carolina makes the postseason tournament.

“The one thing that sets Michael apart from the rest is sometimes players plateau and they get to a point where they don’t get any better,” Chadwick said. “But each year, even in college, Michael continues to get better and better in refining his trade.”

And much to mom’s delight, he still finds time for his academics in his cramped schedule, as shown by his All-ACC Academic Honor Roll achievement. As a business major, Callahan’s still searching for an academic concentration that really sparks his interest.

When he’s not on the field, word has it he’s a pretty good guitar player. With UNC teammate Chris Litchford, the two hang out and play regularly.

He likes the college life in Chapel Hill. He enjoys his free time to just hang out with the guys. He values his academics.

But when all that comes to an end in a couple of years, Callahan has his heart set on continuing soccer — whether it be playing professionally or coaching.

“I’ve never, never gotten sick of soccer, never gotten burnt out,” he said. “I love it.”