The School of the Osage boys’ soccer program is only four years old, but it may not have a better player in quite some time.
Indians senior Robbie Mueller became the state’s all-time leading scorer last week, breaking a record that had stood since 1966. Mueller’s second of three goals in a 3-1 victory over Lebanon on Sept. 20 pushed him past John Pisani of CBC, who had held the record with 138.
But if you ask his coach, Mueller tries to portray himself as just another player.
“He doesn’t consider himself to be the best player on our team,” said Osage coach Brandon Randall said. “In most situations, he’s the most athletic player on the field. He’s humble and team-first.
"He's the type of player that’s going to put himself in the right spot. We look for him, yeah, but we look for a lot of players. He gets assists, too. He'll pass the ball if it means someone else gets a goal."
But at a young age, Mueller thought of being a baseball star.
“I was four when I began to play soccer, and I actually wanted to play T-ball,” Mueller said. “I wasn’t a big fan of my dad dragging me out and making me play (soccer) a lot. He helped me fall in love with the game.”
Mueller moved to the Lake of the Ozarks at the age of 4 after the family’s home in St. Louis burned down. His father would die when he was 9 years old.
Mueller said he tries not to think about his dad’s death, but is appreciative that he pushed him toward soccer.
"He's looking down on me and he's really happy for me, he's excited for me," Mueller said.
Mueller was a second team all-state selection in Class 2 as a junior. Randall thinks he should be a shoo-in for first team this season after Osage moved down to Class 1.
"Sometimes it's just not someone's time, but we feel this year it is," Randall said. "He's well-respected by the other coaches whether he gets the postseason awards or not."
Partly because he plays in Class 1 and the central Missouri area, Mueller has had some trouble attracting college attention. He remains confident that he’ll find a college team to play for.
For now, those at Osage are happy to have Mueller as a representative of their school.
"He makes us a better school, just with his presence," Randall said. "He's a great student. My daughters look up to him."
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