SANDY, Utah – Luke Mulholland bet his soccer career on the United States, and so far that choice is paying off.
Real Salt Lake’s journeyman midfielder has taken a rather peculiar road to Major League Soccer – at least for an Englishman. For one, Mulholland made the decision to attend college stateside to pursue his dream of professional soccer rather than plying his trade in his home country.
“My decision was based on the fact that I wasn’t with a professional youth team back in England,” Mullholland said after practice Tuesday ahead of RSL's home matchup Sunday with Toronto FC (8 pm ET; Fox Sports 1). “But I knew I was a really good player, good enough to play somewhere, and I was passionate enough about it to leave my country and come to the US”
Mulholland recounted his time at Wingate University and how it helped him grow from a naïve 18-year-old to a mature professional soccer player.
“Obviously, at 18 years of age, four years is like a lifetime,” he said. “But college life goes quickly, and, before you know it, I had matured as a player at the collegiate level and I was doing well. I then got told to turn pro, so I went to an open tryout and the rest was history.”
Mulholland began his professional career with the USL’s Wilmington Hammerheads in April 2011, earning league Rookie of the Year honors. He continued climbing up the ranks of US soccer, landing at the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the NASL in 2012. He was the first player to be named to the NASL Best XI in back-to-back seasons. All of these accolades finally got the attention of RSL, who signed him ahead of the 2014 season.
Mulholland recently got his green card last December while in Utah. The Englishman feels at home in the States and doesn’t have plans to move back to England anytime soon.
“Right now I’m happy here in the MLS,” Mulholland said. “I think the MLS is a fantastic league. It’s constantly growing. I’ve only played one year in the MLS, so I’m hoping to add to that and re-evaluate each year. But right now I’m happy playing for RSL, and I’m hoping to stay here.”
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RSL are more than happy to have him, as well. Mulholland made 31 appearances – 24 starts – during his first season with the team. He scored six goals and logged seven assists during that time.
Now he’s looking to add to that total this season, hungry for every opportunity to make his mark. He understands that he will have to battle even harder for minutes this season, but the 25-year-old is up to the challenge.
“It’s important not to get frustrated because minutes and opportunities will come for me whether I’m playing good or whether players are away for international duty,” he said. “I know what I’ve got to do, and I’m looking forward to being a team player this year.”
