Center Midfielder Tate Robertson comes to Stumptown

September 3, 2019

Center midfielder Tate Robertson comes to Stumptown Athletic from his home state of Ohio, where he started playing at age three and hasn’t stopped. A four-year starter and 2018 team captain at Bowling Green State University, Robertson led the team in assists and points. Robertson also played for the Great Lakes Division champion Dayton Dutch Lions FC of the PDL, where he was elected in the USL PDL Best XI for the 2018 season, the only player from the Great Lakes Conference. He was also named to the conference’s All-League Team and All-Central Conference Team. When did you start playing soccer? I was probably three or four when I first started playing. My parents played, and my cousin Jamie is a great player, so it was natural for me to follow in their footsteps. I went to a lot of Jamie’s games when I was younger, and from then on, realized this was what I wanted to do as a job. I really developed as a player and scorer during my high school years at Springfield Catholic Central High School. I scored 44 goals my senior year, which made me the top Division III scorer and third in the state for all divisions, and I was named to the All-Ohio First Team. When did your soccer career take off? I played soccer at Bowling Green State University, where I majored in biology. I started for all four years and was team captain my senior year. I’m proud that I was selected for the All-MAC First Team and was ranked number 5 on Top Drawer Soccer’s preseason and postseason list of the top 20 players in the MAC. The Ohio Collegiate Soccer Association named me to the All-Ohio Team – all great honors. I played club soccer for Coach Dan Griest at the Ohio Galaxies from the time I was 14 until I was 18, then played for him again with the Dayton Dutch Lions FC. We won the Great Lakes division when I was on the team, and I was elected in the USL PDL Best XI for the 2018 season – the only player from my conference, which was a great accomplishment. I really admire Coach Griest. He’s had a lot to do with my development as a player from the time I was young through my professional career, and he’s an important part of my life today. What made you sign with Stumptown Athletic? I signed with Stumptown Athletic because the coaching staff has a great reputation when it comes to player development and forming competitive teams. They also believed in me enough to bring me in, and it’s just a great atmosphere to kickstart my pro career. What should fans know about you? I would like the fans to know that I take the game and my role on the field very seriously. I train as much as I can to be the best player possible. When people talk about me as a player, I hope they say I’m extremely hard to play against, I never quit, and I’m clean on the ball. I’m also hard to get close to! Who’s your favorite player? Frankie de Jong. I like him for how clean he is on the ball and how quick he sees the game. He always seems to have the highest soccer IQ on the field. What do you do when you’re off the field? I golf a ton. I love to play with friends.