By Mariana Smithfield
COLUMBUS – U.S. Soccer announced today that Columbus Crew goalkeeper Patrick Schulte has been selected by United States Olympics Men’s Soccer Team head coach Marko Mitrovic to the 18-man roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“It’s a dream come true to be able to represent the United States in the Olympics. It’s something I’ve dreamed of since I was little, and to have this opportunity is something I’ll cherish forever,” said Schulte. “Without the Crew, I wouldn’t be able to represent Team USA in Paris. The Club pushes me every day to get better which has given me this opportunity to go chase my dream of playing for Team USA. Being an Olympian is an honor and something I hold with true pride, to represent not just myself but my family, who has supported me through it all, the club and most importantly the country that will be behind us throughout the games.”
Schulte will join the U.S. following the Crew’s road match against LAFC on July 13.
The U.S. Olympic Men’s Team is returning to the Games this summer for the first time since 2008. The Olympic Men’s Soccer Tournament is restricted to players under the age of 23, with each team allowed three overage players on its roster.
The U.S. Men will kick off their Olympic return on Wednesday, July 24 against host France in Marseille. The USA will then take on New Zealand on Saturday, July 27 in Marseille and finish the group stage against Guinea on Tuesday, July 30 in Saint-Etienne.
This season, Schulte has started 18 MLS matches for the Black & Gold, tallying 49 saves and recording a .89 Goals Against Average. Schulte has recorded seven shutouts this season, equaling his previous career-high set in 2023. The 23-year-old played every minute of the Concacaf Champions Cup campaign, making 36 saves as the Crew reached the final for the first time in Club history. For his performances, which included two crucial penalty kick saves in the shootout against Tigres UANL in the quarterfinals, Schulte was named Best Goalkeeper of the Tournament and selected to the Best XI.
In 2023, Schulte made his MLS debut in the season opener on Feb. 25. He would go on to appear in 31 regular season matches, recording 90 saves for six shutouts. In postseason play, Schulte earned two shutouts in the Crew’s six playoff matches and recorded four saves in both the Eastern Conference Final and MLS Cup. On Dec. 9, Schulte became the youngest goalkeeper to start and win an MLS Cup at 22 years and 271 days old.
A member of Generation adidas, Schulte was selected in the first round (12th overall) by the Crew in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft from St. Louis University. In his rookie season, Schulte started 15 games for Crew 2, playing 1,350 minutes and allowing just 15 goals. His goals against average (1.0) and win percentage (66.7%) were the best in the league among goalkeepers who played in more than half their team’s matches. His 10 wins were tied for the most in MLS NEXT Pro and his seven clean sheets were second in the league. On Oct. 8, 2022, Schulte helped Crew 2 to a 4-1 victory over St Louis CITY2 in the inaugural MLS NEXT Pro Cup, hosted at Lower.com Field. For his efforts that season, Schulte was named the first-ever MLS NEXT Pro Goalkeeper of the Year and selected to the MLS NEXT Pro Best XI.
Schulte was most recently with the U-23s for the team’s final training camp in Kansas City in early June.
He previously represented the U.S. at the U-18, U-20 and U-23 levels. He made his senior international debut on Jan. 20, earning the start against Slovenia at Toyota Field in San Antonio, Texas, a match that also Crew Homegrown midfielder Sean Zawadzki in the starting XI.
2024 U.S. OLYMPIC MEN’S SOCCER TEAM ROSTER BY POSITION (CLUB; HOMETOWN)
Goalkeepers (2): Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew; St. Charles, Mo.), Gaga Slonina (Chelsea/ENG; Addison, Ill.)
Defenders (6): Maximilian Dietz (Greuther Furth/GER; Frankfurt, Germany), Nathan Harriel (Philadelphia Union; Oldsmar, Fla.), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati; Arlington, Mass.), John Tolkin (New York Red Bulls; Chatham, N.J.), Caleb Wiley (Atlanta United FC; Atlanta, Ga.), Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC; Lawrenceville, Ga.)
Midfielders (5): Gianluca Busio (Venezia/ITA; Greensboro, N.C.), Benjamin Cremaschi (Inter Miami CF; Key Biscayne, Fla.), Jack McGlynn (Philadelphia Union; Queens, N.Y.), Djordje Mihailovic (Colorado Rapids; Jacksonville, Fla.), Tanner Tessmann (Venezia/ITA; Birmingham, Ala.)
Forwards (5): Paxten Aaronson (FC Utrecht/NED; Medford, NJ), Taylor Booth (FC Utrecht/NED; Eden, Utah), Duncan McGuire (Orlando City SC; Omaha, Neb.), Kevin Paredes (Wolfsburg/GER; South Riding, Va.), Griffin Yow (KVC Westerlo/BEL; Clifton, Va.)
Alternates (4): Josh Atencio (Midfielder, Seattle Sounders FC; Bellevue, Wash.), Jacob Davis (Defender, Sporting Kansas City; Rochester, Mich.), Johan Gomez (Forward, Eintracht Braunschweig/GER; Keller, Texas), John Pulskamp (Goalkeeper, Sporting Kansas City; Bakersfield, Calif.)
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