Patrick Schulte Headed To Olympics, Area Relatives Will Be Watching The Soccer Matches

Why? Because Schulte is headed to the 2024 Summer Olympics as a member of the United States soccer team.

"We were waiting to hear whether he was going, but his dad, Tim Schulte, assured me he's a member of the team," said great-aunt Pat Brumleve of Effingham.

"He's been playing soccer since he was six years old. He attended Francis Howell High School in St. Louis, then played three years for Saint Louis University. He was the 12th pick in the first round and was drafted by the Columbus Crew. He was 21 years old in the minor leagues and they went to Nationals and won it. The next year he moved up to the Major League and they went to Nationals again and won. The game was played in Columbus, Ohio and we went to watch him which was really exciting."

The Crew is a team in the Major Soccer League where Schulte has taken over the goalkeeper's position.

Brumleve's sister, Mary Jo is Patrick's grandmother. Other relatives include Kay Jansen, another great-aunt in Effingham, Don Brumleve, a great-uncle and Judy Wittenberg, a great-aunt from Strasburg.

"We watched him play at SLU and have been to Columbus three times to watch him in the Major Leagues," said Brumleve. "The family members have all gone and some are going over to the Olympics in Paris. When they heard there was talk about him being on the U.S. team, they went ahead and booked to go."

Schulte was a three-time All-Academic selection in high school. He played basketball where he was a three-year varsity starter. He played with the Saint Louis FC Academy, where the team went to the USSDA playoffs. He played college soccer at Saint Louis University and in three seasons, he made 51 appearances. He earned an Atlantic 10 Conference All-Rookie team selection, was named the Atlantic 10 Conference Defensive Player of the Year and A-10 First Team All-Conference. He again earned the A-10 First Team All-Conference in 2021 and was Second Team United Soccer Coaches All-Region. He also was named Most Outstanding Player of the A-10 Championship.

He left college early to sign a Generation Adidas contract with Major League Soccer so he could enter the 2022 MLS Super-Draft. In the Super-Draft in 2022 he was selected 12th overall by the Columbus Crew. He was with the Crew's MLS Next Pro side Columbus Crew 2 which won the inaugural MLS Next Pro Cup. He also claimed the MLS Next Pro Goalkeeper of the Year award. During his second year, he was promoted to first team (crew team). The Crew won the MLS Cup and he was the youngest goalkeeper to ever win the Cup.

Schulte then earned his way into the starting lineup during the 2023 MLS season. The team went on to win the MLS Cup as he started the rest of the MLS regular season and playoff games. He was named Goalkeeper of the Year.

The goalkeeper then made his debut for the senior United States National team in January of 2024 against Slovenia.

The United States men's under-23  National team qualified for the Olympic Games for the first time since 2008. The U.S. squad competed Tuesday against Japan for its final match here in the states and lost by a 2-0 count. There will be 18 men on the Olympic roster next month playing for Coach Marko Mitrovic.

The 6-foot-4 Schulte was among the players at the June training camp along with a teammate Aidan Morris. The U.S. roster is restricted to players under the age of 23 with an allowance for three overage players.

The U.S. men will be playing their first match Wednesday, July 24 when they take on host France in Marseille. The USA squad then meets New Zealand Saturday, July 27, also in Marseille. They will wrap up group stage Tuesday, July 30 against  the Asia-Africa playoff winner at Saint-Etienne.

Schulte's parents are Tim and Kathy Schulte who reside in St. Louis. Tim is the chairman of Smith Moore which has a branch here in Effingham and is known among the Smith Moore group.

"Patrick's dad drew up visting Teutopolis and Effingham often," said Brumleve. "He has a lot of family and friends in the area."

And, the young Patrick Schulte will become familiar to more folks in the Teutopolis and Effingham area now that he's headed to the Olympics. As the U.S. soccer team plays, be sure to watch Schulte if the camera catches him before the match as he writes Gram in the grass honoring his grandmother.