Hunter Sulte

Last updated

Hunter Sulte
Personal information
Date of birth (2002-04-25) April 25, 2002 (age 23)
Place of birth Anchorage, Alaska, United States
Height 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Position
Team information
Current team
Portland Timbers
Youth career
2016–2020 Portland Timbers
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2018– Portland Timbers 2 26 (0)
2021– Portland Timbers 3 (0)
2024–2025Indy Eleven (loan) 49 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 18:07, December 8, 2025 (UTC)

Hunter Pendleton Sulte (born April 25, 2002) is an American soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Major League Soccer club Portland Timbers.

Contents

Club career

Portland Timbers 2 (2018–2021)

Born in Anchorage, Alaska, Sulte left his hometown when he was 13 to attend a soccer academy in Portland, Oregon. [1] After playing with the Portland Timbers academy, [2] Sulte appeared for Portland's USL Championship side Portland Timbers 2 on March 7, 2020, starting in a 6–1 loss to Phoenix Rising. [3] He had previously appeared with the club on the bench during their 2018 and 2019 seasons.

Portland Timbers (2021–present)

On November 11, 2020, it was announced that Sulte would join Portland's MLS roster as a homegrown player from the 2021 season. [4] He is the first player from Alaska to sign an MLS Homegrown contract with an MLS club. [5] Sulte chose Portland over a scholarship offer to play college soccer at Georgetown. [6]

On May 1, 2021, Sulte made his MLS debut starting in a 4–1 loss to FC Dallas. At the age of 19 years and 6 days, Sulte became the second youngest goalkeeper to start an MLS match. Sulte, 6 ft. 7 in., became the tallest goalkeeper in MLS history to play in a match. [7] On November 1, 2024, Sulte's contract option was picked up by Portland following a successful loan spell at Indy Eleven. [8]

On December 4, 2025, Sulte signed a new multi-year contract with Portland following a second successive season on loan at Indy Eleven, with a contract through 2028 with an option for the 2028-29 season. [9]

Indy Eleven (Loan, 2024–2025)

On February 23, 2024, Portland announced that Sulte would spend the 2024 season on loan at USL Championship club Indy Eleven. [10] Sulte made his debut for Indy Eleven in a 1–1 away draw against Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC on April 20. [11] Sulte won his first clean sheet on May 4, in a 1–0 victory away to Monterey Bay FC. [12] He won his second league clean sheet in a 1–0 away win over Birmingham Legion FC on June 9 and his third on June 15 in a 1–0 home win over San Antonio FC. [13] [14] Sulte was named to the USL Championship Team of the Week and won the Save of the Week award for his week 15 performance against San Antonio, in which he saved a penalty kick and made his fifth overall clean sheet of the season in the league and cup. [15] [16] Sulte ended the season with 9 league and 2 Open Cup clean sheets, appearing in 31 matches for Indy Eleven. [17]

On February 4, 2025, Portland announced that Sulte would return on loan to Indy Eleven for a second consecutive season. [18] Sulte ended the season with 4 league clean sheets and 70 league saves. [19] His 18 total clean sheets over two years across all competitions is the second-best record in Indy Eleven's history, as of 2025. [20]

References

  1. "Anchorage's Hunter Sulte signs with Portland Timbers of the MLS".
  2. "Portland Timbers". port.ussoccerda.com. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  3. "Phoenix Rising FC vs. Portland Timbers 2 - March 7, 2020". uslchampionship.com. USL Championship. March 7, 2020. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  4. "Portland Timbers sign Homegrown goalkeeper Hunter Sulte for 2021 season". MLSsoccer.com.
  5. "Portland Timbers sign Homegrown goalkeeper Hunter Sulte for 2021 season". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  6. Bragg, Beth (November 11, 2020). "Anchorage's Hunter Sulte signs with Portland Timbers of the MLS". Anchorage Daily News . Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  7. @TimbersFC (May 1, 2021). "Tonight, 6'7'' Hunter Sulte will become the tallest goalkeeper to ever play in @MLS. Also, the second youngest goalkeeper to start in league history as well as only the second player from Alaska to sign an MLS contract. #DALvPOR #RCTID" (Tweet). Retrieved May 2, 2021 via Twitter.
  8. Timbers, Portland. "Timbers announce roster status ahead of 2025 season". Portland Timbers. Retrieved December 23, 2024.
  9. Timbers, Portland. "Timbers re-sign goalkeeper Hunter Sulte to multi-year contract | PTFC". Portland Timbers. Retrieved December 8, 2025.
  10. "Timbers loan Hunter Sulte to USL side Indy Eleven for 2024 season". Portland Timbers. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  11. "Recap – COS 1:1 IND". Indy Eleven. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  12. "Recap – MB 0:1 IND". Indy Eleven. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  13. "RECAP - BHM 0:1 IND". Indy Eleven. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  14. "Recap - IND 1:0 SA". Indy Eleven. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  15. "Sulte Named to USL Championship Team of the Week". Indy Eleven. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  16. "USL Championship Save of the Week – Week 15". USL Championship. June 18, 2024. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
  17. "2024 Indy Eleven season", Wikipedia, November 4, 2024, retrieved November 20, 2024
  18. Timbers, Portland. "Timbers loan goalkeeper Hunter Sulte to USL side Indy Eleven for 2025 season | PTFC". Portland Timbers. Retrieved February 4, 2025.
  19. "2025 Player Stats". Indy Eleven. Retrieved December 8, 2025.
  20. Timbers, Portland. "Timbers re-sign goalkeeper Hunter Sulte to multi-year contract | PTFC". Portland Timbers. Retrieved December 8, 2025.