Philip Quinton, a 6’ 6” central defender, has worked very hard throughout the first couple of months of his rookie season with Major League Soccer’s (MLS) Columbus Crew. His main objective is to earn promotion and a consistent place on the first team, up from his current spot on their second team which plays in the league’s developmental circuit, MLS Next Pro.

He has another important goal: To use his platform to make a difference on climate change.

That is why Quinton has joined EcoAthletes’ as its newest Champion, its first from the world of MLS.

“The last couple years, we’ve seen more athletes speaking out on more social issues, demonstrating their power to spark change,” noted Quinton. “There haven’t been many who’ve taken on climate — yet. That’s why it’s very cool for me to be able to become an EcoAthletes Champion, to learn from other athletes on how to become a climate leader. I’ve cared about climate change as far back as I can remember and so now is the time for me to step up and do something about it.”

He also loved soccer as far back as he can remember.

“It’s always been my favorite to play and watch,” recalled the Portland, Oregon native. “I started playing when I was about four years old; my mom was my first coach. She was a good player and so was my dad — he played at Dartmouth. While I ran track and cross country in high school, deep down I knew soccer was my sport. I always was athletic, which helped me stand out. And when I was a sophomore in high school, my club coach told me I could be a good college player.”

Quinton chose Notre Dame (“I loved it right away; everyone I talked to said great things, and the academics are top notch”) as the place where he would try to make his club coach look smart. But it wouldn’t be easy.

“It was very challenging for me as a freshman and the learning curve was steeper than I had expected,” Quinton admitted. “A lot of the other guys had pro or college training; I did not. So, I rode the bench. It was helpful and humbling for me to watch guys who gave everything they had to get a spot on the pitch. It made me work harder and made me hungrier to learn what it would take to earn my spot.”

He learned from a great squad — Notre Dame made it to the Elite Eight in his freshman year. Injury overtook his sophomore season, so it wasn’t until his junior campaign (2020-21) that he hit his stride; Quinton became a fixture in the Fighting Irish’s starting XI as a reliable anchor of the team’s central defense.

This past season, in his last go-round at Notre Dame, Quinton overcame a torn meniscus to help lead the team to the NCAA Final Four. There, the Irish gave a great effort in the semifinals before falling in penalty kicks to Clemson, the eventual national champion.

Next up was the 2022 MLS Super Draft.

“During my sophomore year at Notre Dame, I started to think I could go pro,” said Quinton. “Then, as a junior, I wasn’t sure I wanted to go the pro soccer route. But during my senior year, I realized this was what I wanted to do and so I was thrilled when the Columbus Crew picked me in the first round.”

Much like his freshman year in college, Quinton has spent most of his rookie campaign with the Crew’s reserve or second squad, getting valuable playing time in MLSNextPro matches. And, as at Notre Dame, he’s been a sponge, learning every day by practicing against the first team.

“I’m much more prepared for MLS than I was for college soccer,” Quinton asserted. “I’m learning to use my 6’ 6” frame to make a bigger impact and I am working hard to improve the weaker parts of my game — the short, quick movements that are harder for bigger players to master. I’ve been called up to the first team once so far this season. I hope to have other chances the rest of the way and then am excited to make a much bigger impact next season.”

Quinton also would like to have much more of an impact on the #ClimateComeback than he has had to this point. Like soccer, caring for the environment and the climate was ingrained in him from a very young age: “Growing up in Portland, thinking about and protecting the environment and climate was just something almost everyone did. We composted in our house, dad rode his bike everywhere, and we studied climate in school all the way back to 5th grade. My friends at Grant High started a Climate Club; it featured a Climate Relay with members of the track team. Each team ran for a cause — ours was the Polar Ice Caps — getting pledges for donations, and everyone ran a mile. Our team won one year! It was all very normal to me, a no-brainer.”

Notre Dame was a bit of a different story.

“South Bend isn’t Portland when it comes to being green,” noted the political science and international economics major. “Some people were not supportive, some were. Other issues just had more prominence on campus. There were some protests against fossil fuels, and I made some personal changes like not using straws and single-use plastic water bottles. Now that I’m a pro, I want to do more on climate, I need to do more on climate and that’s why I became an EcoAthletes Champion!

EcoAthletes founder and CEO Lew Blaustein happily welcomes Quinton into the Champions fold.

“Philip is coming to the Champions roster at just the right time because he is in his ascendancy in two important ways,” Blaustein reasoned. “Number one, he’s on the way up with the Crew in a league, MLS, that is also growing. And Philip is trending up as far as his climate activism is concerned. We can’t wait to help Philip meet the #ClimateComeback moment.”

You can follow Philip on Instagram and Twitter