Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SANDY — When Real Salt Lake head coach Jeff Cassar first said the club would be utilizing a 4-3-3 more during the 2015 season, it naturally meant somebody in the midfield of the squad's commonplace 4-4-2 formation would be moved out of a starting roster spot.
Luke Mulholland was the player moved to the bench — but the change of pace hasn’t been a bad thing for the Englishman.
Mulholland, who entered the game in the 70th minute for teammate Luis Gil, earned the key penalty that gave RSL a 3-3 draw with Philadelphia during a “weird, wacky game” in the squad’s home-opener Saturday night.
The 26-year-old native of Preston, England, wasn’t thrilled about losing his spot in the team’s starting 11 after amassing 24 starts in 2014, his first season with the club. But the former standout with the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the second-division North American Soccer League didn’t waste time sulking, instead taking the chance to impact a game as soon as his number was called.
“Obviously, it puts me back to square one from last season, trying to get on the field more,” Mulholland said of the team’s 4-3-3 formation. “But I knew coming here a year ago that it wasn’t going to be easy to find a starting spot on this team.
“I’m OK being a squad player, and every time I get the opportunity to get on the field, I’m just going to work my ass off and help the team create chances and secure wins. It’s going to be a long season, and I’ll get plenty of chances with the rest of the guys in the squad, and I can’t get upset about that.”
In the 85th minute, Mulholland made his mark by racing on to the end of a through-ball from defender Tony Beltran, taking a touch just inside the penalty box and going down after taking a bruising blow on his shin. It was a goal-scoring opportunity, but not one he thought deserved much — if any — of a foul call.
It turned out to be enough for a penalty kick, according to head official Allen Chapman, who signaled to the spot. Mulholland disagreed a bit with the decision, he later admitted honestly.
“I thought we won a corner, but then the referee gave us a penalty. We’ll take that,” he said. “Philadelphia is going to feel hard done by it. I hope they know I didn’t take a dive; I’ve got the bruise on my shin to show it. Sometimes luck goes your way, and sometimes it doesn’t. I definitely think we were fortunate to get the penalty.”
Mulholland’s boss disagreed with the midfielder, diplomatically siding with the official.
“Yeah, I just saw a big mark on his shin,” Cassar said. “Without a doubt, it was a penalty.”
Alvaro Saborio stepped up and calmly flicked a shot down the middle and past Philadelphia goalkeeper Rais M’bolhi for the final equalizer of the night.
Mulholland finished with two fouls conceded and two fouls suffered in his 20 minutes on the pitch, including the key moment of the equalizer. RSL (0-0-2) outshot Philadelphia 14-10, including a 7-4 edge in shots on target.
“At the end of the day, the score was probably the right score,” Cassar said. “I thought we did enough to win — when you score three goals at home, you’ll typically walk away with the victory. But we did enough to lose the game as well.”
Only four minutes after appearing against the Union (0-0-2), Mulholland drew the ire of Chapman, who showed the RSL midfielder the sixth yellow card in a match that featured seven.
In RSL’s season opener, a 0-0 draw at the Portland Timbers last week, the club showed a defensive commitment unbeknown of a team undergoing significant change and the addition of a third forward in the starting lineup. But on Saturday night, RSL got away from its defensive roots, midfield maestro Javier Morales said.
“I think we have to be more focused on the game,” Morales said. “Every detail sometimes makes the difference in those kind of games, where you attack all the time. You have to be ready to defend, especially throw-ins and counters. It’s tough, but I think we are in a good place.”
Mulholland learned to play both sides of the ball well during his 31 appearances in his first year in MLS in 2014. It was the same work rate that impressed Cassar in Saturday’s opener, and that was what eventually drew the game-tying penalty.
Philadelphia is going to feel hard done by it. I hope they know I didn't take a dive; I've got the bruise on my shin to show it. Sometimes luck goes your way, and sometimes it doesn't. I definitely think we were fortunate to get the penalty.
–RSL midfielder Luke Mulholland
“I just wanted to bring in fresh legs. I wanted Luke to make some of his midfield runs in behind,” Cassar said of Mulholland’s substitution. “They are almost unstoppable if the timing is right, and he made a great run. Tony played a fantastic ball, he made a fantastic run, and when you are putting pressure on a team in their 18-yard box, you either foul them or you have to let them go.”
RSL went down 3-2 to Philadelphia in the 58th minute on an own goal redirected by Jamison Olave. But the home side didn’t concede after Mulholland’s substitution, the second of the match, and RSL finished with 65.6 percent of possession after the break to help secure its second point in the first two MLS matches.
“It’s a new formation, a lot of quality in the team, and I’m pretty sure eventually the wins will start coming,” Mulholland said. “We’re not pressing any alarm bells just yet.”
There are things that RSL will need to work on as it takes two weeks off of MLS play before returning to Rio Tinto Stadium on March 29 against U.S. internationals Jozy Altidore, Michael Bradley and Toronto FC. But Cassar admitted the club’s new system is still a work in progress — and that progress will grow further with more attitudes like Mulholland's.
“There are things we need to work on. I told the guys that if we thought this was the finished product, we’re fooling ourselves,” Cassar said. “We’re going to continually get better. We need to work on being aggressive and defensive at the same time.
“The more we can get better, on both sides of the ball, and even better with our passing, we’re going to be a very, very good team heading down the stretch.”
