ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis area develops soccer player after soccer player, including a goalkeeper who is making history.
St. Charles native and Francis Howell graduate Patrick Schulte may be the best goalkeeper to ever come out of the St. Louis area.
Schulte and the Columbus Crew defeated LAFC Saturday night 2-1 and claimed the franchise's third MLS Cup.
The 22-year-old made history by becoming the youngest goalkeeper ever to start and win an MLS Cup.
"It was crazy, my heart was like shaking, honestly, in the moment," Schulte said. "I honestly didn't know what I did in the moment. But, you know, at the end after celebrating everything, looking back, it was like it was just such a surreal moment."
Almost everything in Patrick Schulte's life has been a special moment.
5 On Your Side first caught him as a sharpshooting forward for Francis Howell's basketball team.
Then it was on to Saint Louis University for Schulte, where the goalkeeper became the Atlantic 10 Conference Defensive Player of the Year and went to the Elite Eight.
Schulte was then the 12th overall pick in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft by the Columbus Crew.
And perhaps none of this would have happened if it were not for one man, the goalkeeper whisperer Tim Kelly.
"I started with him when he was 10 or 11," Tim Kelly said.
"It's always fresh with T.K. He's got it. He's got a great personality," Schulte said. "The work that I've put in, I couldn't have done it without him."
And it was a remarkable, unexpected run for Schulte.
He became the starter for the Columbus Crew during the 2023 MLS season after an injury to goalkeeper Eloy Room. He went on to start every remaining MLS regular season game and had an incredible 5-1 record in the postseason.
At 6-foot-5 and 205 pounds, he's the full package.
"He was a big basketball player and I think that was a huge asset for him just to make him just an overall competitive athlete and hand-eye coordination," Kelly said. "And you know, I think with individuals who have ability like him, I think they can find their way in most sports."
And shortly, Schulte could be on the biggest stage... the Olympics.
On Friday, he was invited to the U.S. National Team camp.
"I don't try and think of it a whole lot. I try to just take on one day at a time because I just like to be healthy and to have the best opportunity. But, my friends and family have said stuff about, you know, how cool would it be to go to Paris and be an Olympian and all this stuff?" Schulte said. "So it's definitely I've definitely had a lot of thought about it just through conversation. But hopefully when that moment comes and I get that phone call would be a good choice to do something special."
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