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Patrick Schulte had been waiting for more than two years to step into the goalkeeper box against St. Louis City SC on the road.
A St. Louis native who played for St. Louis University prior to getting drafted by the Crew in 2022, Schulte helped boost Columbus to a 2-1 victory in his hometown return at Energizer Park on Sunday.
"I like those kind of challenges," Crew coach Wilfried Nancy said. "This is a way for the player to get better and to go to play with the emotion. Not to put the emotion on the side, but to be able to manage this kind of emotion. I think it was a good exercise for Pat."
The matchup marked the first time the Crew have faced St. Louis in regular-season action since St. Louis' MLS debut in 2023, and also extended Columbus' MLS undefeated streak to 5-0-3.
After he allowed St. Louis to record a second-chance shot from forward Joao Klauss in the seventh minute, Schulte grabbed five saves to keep St. Louis off the board the rest of the game.
Replay: Columbus Crew top St. Louis City SC on the road
The Crew evened the score 1-1 with a goal from defender Steven Moreira during first-half stoppage time, and took a 2-1 lead when Diego Rossi scored at the 55-minute mark.
Accumulating 18 points in across their undefeated streak, the Crew sit atop of the Eastern Conference, in front of Inter Miami with 15 points ahead of their matchup on Saturday.
Schulte had over 70 friends and family in the stands on Sunday, the most important to him being his grandparents, Mick and Coco McLaughlin.
"I'm really close with them," Schulte said. "So, just to be able to have them in the stands as much as I can is always something I really like."
Schulte's grandparents have been at Crew games in Columbus, but the sentiment was raised for the 24-year-old with them being able to watch him play professionally in his hometown.
Schulte has continued to prove his importance to the Crew this season, playing seven of their eight games in the undefeated streak, recording two shutouts.
"It's hard sometimes for him," Moreira said. "We attack a lot, and he doesn't have a lot of (action), but he has to stay ready. And for me, he wins the game by himself because he makes some crazy saves. Honestly I tell him, to me, he’s so good."
Moreira's goal 47 minutes into the game was the first goal from a Crew defender of the season, though the backline has been consistently getting more aggressive offensively in the most recent matchups.
"The idea is to respect the game," Nancy said. "If the game is to have a center back moving up because this is the closest guy or he can make a late run, let's do it. After that, we have to balance. This is not about the position, this is about a common-sense play. This is the way we want to play."
Moreira felt it was the right moment to attempt a run in St. Louis' box when midfielder Max Arfsten sent a cross from the left side of the field. Tracking down the ball on the right side of the goal, Moreira took just one touch to score.
The goal came 40 minutes after St. Louis scored, though Moreira felt conceding in the seventh minute forced the Crew's attacking to be more aggressive, including for the defenders.
"We had a lot of chances that we didn't score," Moreira said. "They had one chance, they scored, and I was upset about myself for the first goal. I have to do better honestly. So, I just wanted my teammates to go score goals or give the assist, but move forward."
Entering the second half, Nancy made a substitution for forward Aziel Jackson, who was replaced by Daniel Gazdag.
Gazdag was traded to the Crew from the Philadelphia Union on Friday.
After scoring a franchise-record 59 goals with the Union, Gazdag is expected to be a significant scoring threat for the Crew, which is why Nancy put the 29-year-old into the St. Louis game following just two days of training with the team.
"I didn't know when I wanted him to come in" Nancy said. "I felt that at halftime because I wanted an extra guy between the line, so that's why we changed a bit the shape. Daniel was the good fit."
In the 45-plus minutes of play Gazdag recorded, he failed to get an official shot off, but did have an attempt that went into the back of the net before it was called back due to Gazdag being offside.
The Crew face Inter Miami at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland on Saturday with kickoff set for 4:30 p.m.
[email protected]
@brimackay15
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Crew, Patrick Schulte record road win vs St. Louis: Takeaways
Continue reading...
A St. Louis native who played for St. Louis University prior to getting drafted by the Crew in 2022, Schulte helped boost Columbus to a 2-1 victory in his hometown return at Energizer Park on Sunday.
"I like those kind of challenges," Crew coach Wilfried Nancy said. "This is a way for the player to get better and to go to play with the emotion. Not to put the emotion on the side, but to be able to manage this kind of emotion. I think it was a good exercise for Pat."
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The matchup marked the first time the Crew have faced St. Louis in regular-season action since St. Louis' MLS debut in 2023, and also extended Columbus' MLS undefeated streak to 5-0-3.
After he allowed St. Louis to record a second-chance shot from forward Joao Klauss in the seventh minute, Schulte grabbed five saves to keep St. Louis off the board the rest of the game.
Replay: Columbus Crew top St. Louis City SC on the road
The Crew evened the score 1-1 with a goal from defender Steven Moreira during first-half stoppage time, and took a 2-1 lead when Diego Rossi scored at the 55-minute mark.
Accumulating 18 points in across their undefeated streak, the Crew sit atop of the Eastern Conference, in front of Inter Miami with 15 points ahead of their matchup on Saturday.
Patrick Schulte's performance vs St. Louis City made more special in front 70-plus friends and family
Schulte had over 70 friends and family in the stands on Sunday, the most important to him being his grandparents, Mick and Coco McLaughlin.
"I'm really close with them," Schulte said. "So, just to be able to have them in the stands as much as I can is always something I really like."
You must be registered for see images attach
Schulte's grandparents have been at Crew games in Columbus, but the sentiment was raised for the 24-year-old with them being able to watch him play professionally in his hometown.
Schulte has continued to prove his importance to the Crew this season, playing seven of their eight games in the undefeated streak, recording two shutouts.
"It's hard sometimes for him," Moreira said. "We attack a lot, and he doesn't have a lot of (action), but he has to stay ready. And for me, he wins the game by himself because he makes some crazy saves. Honestly I tell him, to me, he’s so good."
Goal scored by Steven Moreira represents Columbus Crew's desired playing style
Moreira's goal 47 minutes into the game was the first goal from a Crew defender of the season, though the backline has been consistently getting more aggressive offensively in the most recent matchups.
"The idea is to respect the game," Nancy said. "If the game is to have a center back moving up because this is the closest guy or he can make a late run, let's do it. After that, we have to balance. This is not about the position, this is about a common-sense play. This is the way we want to play."
You must be registered for see images
Moreira felt it was the right moment to attempt a run in St. Louis' box when midfielder Max Arfsten sent a cross from the left side of the field. Tracking down the ball on the right side of the goal, Moreira took just one touch to score.
The goal came 40 minutes after St. Louis scored, though Moreira felt conceding in the seventh minute forced the Crew's attacking to be more aggressive, including for the defenders.
"We had a lot of chances that we didn't score," Moreira said. "They had one chance, they scored, and I was upset about myself for the first goal. I have to do better honestly. So, I just wanted my teammates to go score goals or give the assist, but move forward."
Daniel Gazdag makes Columbus Crew debut vs St. Louis City SC
Entering the second half, Nancy made a substitution for forward Aziel Jackson, who was replaced by Daniel Gazdag.
Gazdag was traded to the Crew from the Philadelphia Union on Friday.
You must be registered for see images attach
After scoring a franchise-record 59 goals with the Union, Gazdag is expected to be a significant scoring threat for the Crew, which is why Nancy put the 29-year-old into the St. Louis game following just two days of training with the team.
"I didn't know when I wanted him to come in" Nancy said. "I felt that at halftime because I wanted an extra guy between the line, so that's why we changed a bit the shape. Daniel was the good fit."
In the 45-plus minutes of play Gazdag recorded, he failed to get an official shot off, but did have an attempt that went into the back of the net before it was called back due to Gazdag being offside.
The Crew face Inter Miami at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland on Saturday with kickoff set for 4:30 p.m.
[email protected]
@brimackay15
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Crew, Patrick Schulte record road win vs St. Louis: Takeaways
Continue reading...
