FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The emergence of Patrick Mullins on the New England Revolution’s attack has been something to behold as the rookie continues to fire and score at will, helping spark his team in the midst of a five match win streak.
On Saturday night he potted his fourth goal in as many games, becoming only the second rookie in league history to do such, matching Damani Ralph who performed the feat with Chicago in 2003.
“I did not know that,” said coach Jay Heaps of the accomplisment. “The goals are awesome, they’re a kind of bonus for how we want to play. Patrick does an excellent job pressuring, holding the ball up and allowing players to get forward.”
Despite the impressive outburst from the 11th overall pick of the 2014 SuperDraft, it’s something that both coach and player are not all that surprised by.
“He’s got great awareness of where he needs to be,” said Heaps. “He never goes outside the 18, he finds really good space in there. He’s done it his whole life, he’s just now finding that he’s good enough to do it at this level.”
A two time Hermann Trophy winner as college soccer’s best player, the University of Maryland product is used to finding the back of the net, having done so 46 times in his collegiate career.
“It’s a difficult league, there’s hungry guys out there,” Mullins told the media following New England’s 2-1 win over D.C. “I think college prepared me. I played against great players.”
Mullins ability to transfer to the next level now have him firmly entrenched in the conversation for MLS Rookie of the Year.
There are still plenty of minutes to be played this season and surely the Revs forward won’t be able to keep scoring at this pace, but with his pedigree and his present mindset, it will only get tougher for the opposition to stop him from doing do.
“I believe in myself,” said Mullins. “As a forward you want to score every game that you come in to.”
