When Luke Mulholland left his native England in 2007, he had a four-year plan.
Go to America. Get his college degree from Wingate while playing soccer on scholarship to the NCAA Division II school in North Carolina. Return to England with a valuable education and a chance to potentially continue to pursue his soccer career.
Ten years later, he is not only continuing the pursuit of his soccer dreams in his seventh professional season and fourth with Real Salt Lake, but he is also continuing to advance his education while enrolled in the MBA program at Southern New Hampshire University.
“I still remember coming out on that flight and my first steps on American soil,” Mulholland smiled. “It’s a sense of achievement. I was given a good scholarship and it only made sense to take advantage of that with a degree. Now we have a good partnership with Southern New Hampshire and it’s a no-brainer for me. It can be tough to manage the time, but it will be well worth it for me.”
Everyone Needs a Plan
Mulholland’s initial move to America came because he didn’t see toiling in the lower leagues as something that would be appealing. Already at a young age, he knew that a career in professional soccer can be fleeting and he wanted options off the field once his playing career was over.
Playing in his hometown of Preston in what amounts to the fifth division, he sought change to reach for higher goals in education and soccer.
“I didn’t want to have to work part-time and train twice a week and earn a low wage,” he recalls. “That wasn’t my picture of a professional footballer.”
So at 18 years old, he went to Wingate, where he had a successful four-year career and finished his degree while also starting his professional career with the Wilmington Hammerheads in 2011. During that final semester when he was a professional soccer player and undergraduate student, he regularly made the three-hour commute between Wilmington and Wingate, but in the end, he got his degree in Sports Management.
He hoped to continue that educational pursuit, but playing for three different clubs in three seasons before landing with Real Salt Lake in 2014 meant that his focus was almost exclusively on soccer. Now in his seventh professional season, he has balanced his time management better and is in his third semester toward his MBA from SNHU, with whom MLS holds a partnership that is being utilized by players throughout RSL’s roster and around the league.
“It’s important for me to advance my education while I have the luxury of this flexibility,” Mulholland said. “Everyone needs a plan. This is a step in the right direction for me.”
He has his sights on finishing his MBA in Sports Management, then transitioning into a front office position, whether on the track to be a general manager or in another capacity. He has even spent some time shadowing RSL General Manager Craig Waibel and Real Monarchs General Manager Elliot Fall on matters pertaining to the USL club to get a better sense of what goes into the role at the USL level.
Can’t Keep Him Off the Field
On the field, Mulholland’s versatility has earned him playing time beyond expectation. But regardless of his role at Real Salt Lake, he has always found a way to be among the club’s leaders in appearances and minutes.
When he came to Rio Tinto Stadium it was coming off the heels of Best XI seasons in the USL (2011) and NASL (2012-13). With Wilmington, Minnesota and the Tampa Bay Rowdies, he played as an attacking midfielder and served as a key playmaker and goalscorer, totaling 28 goals in three seasons.
In RSL’s diamond formation, he saw his share of playing time, logging nearly 2,000 minutes in 31 matches. He kept up his scoring, as well, notching six goals and seven assists to finish fourth on the team in scoring and second in assists. As the team shifted to the 4-2-3-1 formation, it looked as though his playing time might suffer. Instead, he has become one of RSL’s most often-used players, appearing in 68 of RSL’s 74 matches since the start of the 2015 season.
The formation shift and an influx of talented midfield players could have been a hurdle for him, but instead he has been further motivated to perform, regardless of role.
“At the end of the day, I’m a midfielder. I can play defensive midfield if I’m asked to play there or attacking midfield if I’m asked to play there,” said Mulholland. “There are a lot of options for us, so I’m just there as the next best option to fill in their shoes. I’m confident in my ability that I’m better on the field than watching from the sidelines.”
I Want Silverware
While his offensive production may have dropped as he plays a different role, it hasn’t changed his goals on the field. In a world, silverware.
“I won the championship with Minnesota and Tampa in the years before I came to RSL,” he said. “Now it’s my fourth year and I haven’t picked up any silverware. I’d like to add to my cabinet with a Real Salt Lake title.”
Now, just as when he left England in 2007, his primary goals are short-term, but are in place to set him up to succeed in the long-term. He expects to finish his MBA in three years, around which time he will also be eligible to seek U.S. citizenship. With those milestones within reach, he is expected to achieve another on Saturday when Real Salt Lake meets the Colorado Rapids in the first of three matches for the Rocky Mountain Cup. If he plays, it will mark his 100th career MLS regular season match with Real Salt Lake.
Not bad for a kid who was just hoping to go home to Preston, England with a diploma and a steady job.
