HERIMMAN, UTAH (Tuesday, February 16, 2021) – Former Real Salt Lake midfielder Luke Mulholland announced his retirement after a ten-year professional career. Subsequent to his retirement, Mulholland will join RSL’s technical staff as the team scout, overseeing internal scouting and working with newly-appointed Technical Director Kurt Schmid to scour the globe for talent who can contribute to the Club.
“I was proud to take the road less traveled in my career. Starting by playing collegiately at a Division II school at Wingate University and then working my way up the professional ladder through the USL and NASL before reaching MLS, it brings me great pride that I was able to play for a decade. It was an honor to earn a starting role in my first four years with RSL and play for the fans in Utah before injury derailed things in my playing career,” Mulholland said. “I look forward to utilizing my experience as a player and my education with my Master’s in Business to take the next step in my career as a scout and work my way up the ladder in the front office.”
Mulholland played 10 professional seasons, including seven with Real Salt Lake, totaling 16 goals and 16 assists in 123 regular season appearances with RSL. Additionally, he made five appearances in the MLS Cup Playoffs, four in CONCACAF Champions League and six in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. In his first four seasons with the Club, he averaged 30 appearances and 2,073 minutes per season and was a mainstay in the midfield. In 2018, a back injury derailed his career, but he was still able to play a crucial leadership role with the Real Monarchs in 2019 in their run to the USL Championship trophy, leading the Monarchs to an unbeaten 11-0-1 record in his 12 matches across the regular season and playoffs.
Prior to his arrival with Real Salt Lake in 2014, Mulholland was the 2011 USL Rookie of the Year with the Wilmington Hammerheads, notching nine goals and five assists in his first professional season. To close out the year, he played with Minnesota in the NASL, helping the Stars win the NASL title. In 2012, he became the first player to win back-to-back NASL titles with two different clubs, helping the Tampa Bay Rowdies to the championship while earning NASL Best XI honors. In his final season in Florida, he again was named to the NASL Best XI and finished his two-year run with 16 goals and 14 assists in 51 regular season matches for the Rowdies.
Following the conclusion of his playing career, Mulholland moves into the front office, joining RSL Assistant General Manager Tony Beltran as the second former player to make the transition from playing under Head Coach Freddy Juarez to working alongside his staff.
“Luke’s knowledge and experience within all levels of soccer alone make him a major asset to our front office, but that coupled with his passion for Real Salt Lake and its community combine for a perfect addition to our staff,” said RSL Executive Vice President of Soccer Operations Rob Zarkos. “We are thrilled to be able to provide players opportunities beyond the pitch and are excited to see what Luke can accomplish in his new role.”
Real Salt Lake is scheduled to open the 2021 MLS regular season on April 17, with preseason slated to start on March 1.
