This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Oceanside, Calif. • Luke Mulholland believes he's earned his keep at Real Salt Lake, thanks to his production during his past two seasons with the club. The 27-year-old English midfielder has made 60 league appearances the last two seasons, including 51 starts.
In 2015, only right back Tony Beltran and captain Kyle Beckerman logged more minutes than Mulholland.
That said, Mulholland understands that past exploits only carry you so far.
"Maybe I've earned my name on the team sheet for the first game, but then I think after that, it's all fair game," he said.
General manager Craig Waibel fortified RSL's central midfield corps during the offseason by drafting Jamaican midfielder Omar Holness No. 5 in the 2016 MLS SuperDraft. Soon after, the club signed 27-year-old Nigerian Sunday Stephen Obayan, a two-way midfielder who came up in the Spanish league.
Entering his third season at RSL, Mulholland isn't taking the moves personally. He said he was glad to see Waibel bring in players to compete for positions on the team. It just so happens they'll likely be competing for his role next to Beckerman in the club's 4-3-3 alignment.
"More than happy for quality players to come to our team," Mulholland said. "I don't see it as a warning or anything, I see it as a positive and good for the club."
Since arriving at RSL, Mulholland has made his presence felt. His rookie year he scored six goals and dished seven assists. Those numbers dipped in 2015 to three goals and two assists during the growing pains of learning the new formation.
"It's been a mature offseason for me," he said. "I've stayed locally for the most part and really worked on strengthening my body [to] being able to last the whole season."
Jetting to Jamaica
RSL's first-round draft pick, Holness, left training camp in Oceanside to fly back to his native Jamaica to sort out some visa issues.
RSL coach Jeff Cassar said he expects the 21-year-old midfielder to rejoin the club in Tuscon, Ariz., for the club's second portion of preseason next week. Holness started in the midfield alongside Beckerman in RSL's first official game of the 2016 preseason against the San Diego State Aztecs, going 32 minutes before being subbed off.
Time for Tijuana
RSL closes this first session of its preseason campaign with a friendly Tuesday at noon at Mexico's Club Tijuana in Estadio Caliente. Cassar said RSL will likely trot out a mixed lineup of veterans and youngsters in each half, including striker Joao Plata, who was held out of the match against SDSU Saturday due to quad tightness.
"It's going to be a great thing for us to get a little dry run and get to feel a hostile environment," Cassar said. "It's on turf; that part's not great. But I think it'll be great for the guys to be able to finish up this trip with that kind of intensity."
Twitter: @chriskamrani