Tate Matthew Schmitt (born May 28, 1997) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Major League Soccer club Houston Dynamo.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Tate Matthew Schmitt[1] | ||
| Date of birth | May 28, 1997 | ||
| Place of birth | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Houston Dynamo | ||
| Number | 22 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2014–2015 | Real Salt Lake AZ | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2015–2018 | Louisville Cardinals | 80 | (26) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2018 | FC Tucson | 30 | (10) |
| 2019–2022 | Real Salt Lake | 24 | (2) |
| 2019 | → Real Monarchs | 15 | (2) |
| 2021 | → Phoenix Rising (loan) | 22 | (2) |
| 2022 | → Real Monarchs | 1 | (1) |
| 2023– | Houston Dynamo | 5 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of April 2, 2023 | |||
Career
Youth, college, and amateur
Schmitt played two seasons at Desert Vista High School prior to joining the Real Salt Lake Arizona academy.[3][4]
Schmitt played four years of college soccer at the University of Louisville between 2015 and 2018, scoring 26 goals and tallying 17 assists in 80 appearances.[3] He was named to the 2015 ACC All-Freshman Team and the TopDrawerSoccer.com Freshman Best XI Second Team. As a junior he was named to the All-ACC Second Team and the United Soccer Coaches All-South Region Third Team. His senior season saw him make the All-ACC First Team, TopDrawerSoccer.com Best XI Second Team, and United Soccer Coaches All-South Region First Team. Schmitt helped the Cardinals win the 2018 ACC men's soccer tournament, with Schmitt being named tournament MVP.[3][5]
Schmitt also played with USL Premier Development League side FC Tucson while at Louisville.[6]
Professional
Real Salt Lake
On January 3, 2019, Schmitt signed as a Homegrown Player for Real Salt Lake of Major League Soccer.[7][4] Schmitt made his RSL and MLS debut on March 23, getting the start in a 2–1 loss against Los Angeles FC.[8] He ended his rookie season with 8 total appearances for RSL, 6 MLS appearances, plus an appearance each in the Open Cup and Leagues Cup.[8][9] Schmitt primarily played for RSL's USL Championship affiliate, Real Monarchs. He scored 2 goals and had an assist in 15 regular season games for the Monarchs, while adding 1 goal and 3 assists in 4 playoff games, helping the Monarchs win the 2019 USL Championship Playoffs.[8]
In a shortened 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Schmitt made 4 appearances for RSL.[10]
On June 10, 2021, Schmitt was loaned to his hometown club Phoenix Rising.[11] On June 12 he made his debut and scored his first goal for Phoenix in a 3–1 win over the Tacoma Defiance.[12] Schmitt ended the regular season with 22 appearances, 2 goals, and 1 assist, helping Phoenix finish 1st in the Western Conference.[12] Rising lost in the first round of the playoffs on penalties to Rio Grande Valley FC.[12]
Following the 2021 season, Schmitt's contract option was declined by Salt Lake,[13] but was re-signed on January 19, 2022.[14] He scored his first goal for RSL on March 11, finding the right side netting in the 90+3rd minute to beat the New England Revolution 3–2.[15][16] Schmitt ended the regular season with 14 appearances and 2 goals, helping RSL finish 7th in the Western Conference, qualifying for the playoffs.[17][18] RSL lost in the first round on penalties to Austin FC, with Schmitt not appearing in the match.[17][18]
Following the 2022 season, his contract option was declined by Salt Lake.[19]
Houston Dynamo
On February 17, 2023, Schmitt signed with the Houston Dynamo.[20] He made his Dynamo debut and scored his first goal for the club on February 26 in a 2–1 loss to FC CIncinnati in the opening match of the season.[21]
Career statistics
As of February 26, 2023[6][17][22][9]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Playoffs | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| FC Tucson | 2016 | PDL | 14 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 14 | 6 | |
| 2017 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 12 | 5 | |||
| 2018 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | |||
| Total | 30 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 10 | ||
| Real Salt Lake | 2019 | MLS | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| 2020 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | |||||
| 2021 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2022 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 16 | 2 | |||
| Total | 24 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 2 | ||
| Real Monarchs | 2019 | USLC | 15 | 2 | — | 4 | 1 | — | 19 | 3 | ||
| 2022 | MLS Next Pro | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 16 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 3 | ||
| Phoenix Rising (loan) | 2021 | USLC | 22 | 1 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 23 | 1 | ||
| Houston Dynamo | 2023 | MLS | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Career total | 93 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 103 | 18 | ||
Honors
Real Monarchs
Personal life
Schmitt was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona to RuthAn and Gil Schmitt.[3] His brother Reid played for FC Tucson and Phoenix FC while his brother Andrew played collegiately for the Fort Lewis Skyhawks.[3]