In the 37th minute of Houston Dynamo’s match against FC Cincinnati, Apple TV displayed a chyron about Tate Schmitt, Houston’s starting left back in the match. Except, the chyron listed Schmitt as a forward, not a left-back.
Perhaps Apple TV foreshadowed what would happen in the match 10 minutes later.
In the 47th minute, Hector Herrera swung in a corner kick to the back post, rising to meet the ball and headed into the back of the net – none other than Schmitt.
You can forgive Apple for making a mistake, as even Wikipedia lists forward as one of Schmitt’s positions.
Honestly, neither Apple TV nor Wikipedia is wrong. Schmitt played forward for four years at the Univerity of Louisville, scoring 26 goals, tallying 17 assists in 80 appearances, and being named the 2018 ACC Championship Tournament MVP.
From forward to defender
Since joining MLS with Real Salt Lake as a Homegrown Player in 2019, Schmitt has bounced between positions. He played in the midfield with Real Salt Lake’s USL Championship affiliate Real Monarchs. With RSL, Schmitt was used primarily as an outside back.
After his stint with RSL ended in 2022, he joined the Seattle Sounders as a trialist in the offseason, but the Emerald City team opted not to sign him. That’s when Schmitt came across the Dynamo’s radar as a player to take a look at.
“We know him a little bit from the league,” Houston Dynamo head coach Ben Olsen said. “But really, it was talking to some of the coaches he’s been around and the positional profile of need we had, we thought it was a no-brainer to bring him in to take a look at.”
Schmitt impressed the coaching staff with his personality on the pitch, and with newly acquired left-back Brad Smith sidelined with an ACL injury, he fit a positional need. Houston signed him for the rest of the season.
“We’re excited to add Tate to our roster after a strong showing this preseason,” Dynamo general manager Pat Onstad said in a release. “He adds valuable depth to our fullback position, and we look forward to seeing him compete for minutes this season.”
Schmitt expected to compete for minutes, but did he think he would not only start but score the Dynamo’s first goal of the 2023 season?
“It’s always in the back of your head, and you dream about it,” Schmitt said.
“The big thing was obviously just putting in a good defensive performance, and you know, those opportunities will always come. You just work hard to get the opportunity, but coming in, I obviously wanted to be a starter for this team and contribute when I get the opportunity.”
Schmitt will play defender with the Dynamo, but the versatility that he gives Houston, including his scoring touch, will no doubt be a boost for the Dynamo.
“I’ve played attacking position my whole life in the past, you know, the past four years after coming to MLS and transitioning back into the outside back, outside wingback role,” Schmitt said. “When you’re a soccer player, you love to score goals. It’s just part of playing the game, and I take pride in my effort of always going forward.”
Jesus Acevedo Jr. is the Editor-in-Chief of The Bayoucitian. He’s an award-winning bilingual journalist from Houston, TX. A graduate of the University of Houston, he has written for the Houston Chronicle, La Voz de Houston, MLSsoccer.com, and ProSoccerUSA.
Before becoming a journalist, Jesus spent his early 20s drumming his way across Houston with two bands — Shortcomings and InsertNameHere. The memories that Jesus made as a musician were the seeds that started the idea for the comedy, Houmans: The Series.