Dale Mulholland grew up in Manitou, South Tacoma and is a former FIFA registered US professional soccer player who has had a gypsical career in soccer taking him all over the world starting back in 1985 with TSV Reichenbach 05 of West Germany.
Playing career
His most notable career achievement was breaking into the USSR professional soccer league.. He did so during a short thaw during the Cold War era of the Soviet Union and US relationship, a period referred to as Glasnost while riding the wave of Perestroika that ultimately saw the collapse of the Soviet Union. Originally, he transferred from the Orlando Lions in 1989 to the Sing Tao Tigers of Hong Kong before he contracted for two years with Lokomotiv Moscow of the Soviet First League starting in 1990 and became the first and only American ever to do so. Simultaneously, he sent one of his Russian teammates, the former USSR jr. national team player, Alexander Golovnya, to take his place in Orlando in a 'player swap' of sorts before transferring back to the US and the Miami Freedom of the APSL during the summer of 1991 for the short American outdoor season. In the fall, Mulholland was sent to the UK to West Brom Albion but within two days found himself shanghaied by former England InternationalTony Morley to test at Aston Villa where he trained under Ron Atkinson and Andy Gray during the winter of 1991 before heading back again to live and play behind the Iron Curtain only this time with historically famous FC Dukla Prague in the Czechoslovakian's top flight of football. There he contracted until 1995. One of his teammates at Dukla, Pavel Nedved, went on to become one of the world's most famous players in recent history winning the European and World's Player of the Year Award while Mulholland seemed to drift on in relative obscurity in Eastern Europe rejecting offers from GAK Graz, Austria and other semi-well known clubs in Central Europe. Mulholland was loaned around and made some appearances for FC Magdeburg of the former DDR and other notable Eastern European teams around this time. Mulholland never made it into Western Europe as hoped. Mulholland was twice invited by Bora Milutinovic to the general player's selection camp in the US on a couple of occasions, but nevertheless, did not get selected to the US National Team roster.
Management career
A contract dispute over the US equivalent of $100,000. in Deutsch Marks versus Czech Kronen with the Dukla Prague club officials was the career stall that ended in the court of FIFA, eventually winning the case in full, and releasing him in 1994 to sign anywhere as a pre-Bosman transfer-free player. While the dispute was going through the courts, Mulholland went back to the US to revive his boyhood club, the Seattle Sounders, formerly of the defunct league the NASL. Working alongside local celebrity coach Alan Hinton and his former junior soccer and collegiate teammate Grant Gibbs, accompanied by business manager Ken K. Nakamura, together they revived the club with the financial backing and expertise of two former Microsoft executives Scott Oki and C. Neil Farnsworth, and brought the club back from the graveyard of US soccer history where it has now flourished since 1994 mainly due to the solid foundation that they set up during the rebirth and reformation of that club. The current Seattle Sounders FC now playing in the MLS have been in existence longer than the original NASL club which played from 1974-82. Mulholland was the individual who coined the name of the A-League which was the precursor of the MLS. Oki like it and pushed it through at the first general league meeting After nearly two seasons serving in management and officially as the Instructional Director for the Sounders, preparing the team and teaching 1,000's of children the basics of soccer, Mulholland seemed to have had enough and his wanderlust sent him back to Europe apparently searching for one more big signing and a final club to settle and play but oddly he found himself in such teams and such places as Dinamo Zagreb, Croatia and Tero Sasana, Thailand, and Hapoel Ramat Gan, Israel before finally settling down in Jakarta, Indonesia where he has lived and worked in soccer at all levels for the past 17 years.
Coaching career
Mulholland earned the complete set of AFC international coaching licenses in a two-year accelerated program rather than the normally required three-year period, and finally retired as a full-time professional player around 2000. In addition to receiving the AFC A, B, and C licenses, and additionally earned the ASEAN and the PSSI's coaching qualifications and the Arsenal Soccer Schools Coaching Modules.
2007-11
Served as the Director of Coaching / Head Coach for the Arsenal Soccer Schools franchise for Indonesia, participating in the local men's league with the Jakarta Vikings and formerly playing and managing with the local men's club, 6 times local champions, the in the .
2015-onward
Currently heading up the growth and expansion of SuperSkills Soccer Dojos which concentrate on skill and agility enhancement in player development and utilizes the sport of 1v1 Soccer to create permanent positive progression in every player that becomes part of SuperSkills' culture. He and his wife now have a son and reside in America.
