Cosmos’ Jimmy Mulligan Is Right At Home At Right Back

Photo credit: New York Cosmos

Minutes. Other than goals, minutes – precious playing time – are what every soccer player anywhere covets, make that requires.

Since signing with the New York Cosmos in April 2014 from St. John’s University, defender and Long Island native Jimmy Mulligan had played in a grand total six games in the North American Soccer League. That was before the club sent him to the Midwest on loan to Swope Park Rangers, Sporting Kansas City’s affiliate in the USL.

“At end of the 2015 season I had meetings with the staff and [head coach] Gio [Savarese] presented the idea,” Mulligan told NASL.com. “He said ‘We want to bring you back, get you more games, and a loan deal would be perfect.’ Marc Dos Santos (former coach of Ottawa Fury FC and future coach of the San Francisco Deltas) took over Swope Park Rangers. Gio and Marc have a good relationship and Marc was all for it. I had to prove myself, but I got games.”

So Mulligan went to play soccer outside New York for the first time in his life. But he got games.

He made 17 appearances (16 starts) amassing 1,432 minutes for the first-year USL club. “Being there helped me grow, on and off the field,” Mulligan, 25, said. “I was challenged on the field in a completely different system. It was different from what I experienced on the Cosmos – no Carlos Mendes, no Raúl – because it was younger guys with not much experience. It helped me become a leader.”

So after training for two years with the likes of Raúl, Marcos Senna, and New York’s other veterans, Mulligan was tossed out of his comfort zone – time to sink or swim.

“Early on with the Cosmos, I was definitely progressing because training was so competitive,” he said. “Watching and learning helped me progress. But there is a point where you can’t emulate a game in practice and you need that in-game experience.”

As the Cosmos back line struggled with injuries this year and a trend for conceding late goals, Mulligan was seen as a potential solution. The Cosmos recalled him from Swope Park in late July, Savarese installed Mulligan at right back and moved veteran Hunter Freeman into central defense, paired with Mendes.

“Having Jimmy back with the team gives us more flexibility,” Savarese said last month. “The length of the Fall Season will test our depth. Jimmy can contribute a great deal to this team going forward.”

What came next was a five-game unbeaten streak (three straight wins) since Mulligan cracked the starting lineup ahead of Wednesday night’s contest against Spring Season Champion Indy Eleven at Shuart Stadium. During that period, New has outscored the opposition by 15-5, which includes last Saturday’s 6-1 steamrolling of Carolina.

“I was excited when I got the call,” Mulligan said. “You have to take pride in what you do and I want to help the team win. Especially on the back line, you have an important role. The team has been great since I’ve been back, scoring a lot of goals. When we score it’s easy to defend and not give up any. It is a team effort, the guys are doing great up top and that takes the pressure off us. We’re really clicking.”