New York Cosmos loan Jimmy Mulligan to USL expansion side

The New York Cosmos added several solid depth pieces on loan in the past week, with Jimmy Ockford joining the club from Seattle Sounders FC, and Gabriel Farfan making his way to the NASL champions from Mexico. On Friday., the club sent a valuable depth piece from the past several seasons out on a loan of his own, allowing midfielder/fullback Jimmy Mulligan to join Swope Park Rangers for the 2016 season. Swope Park Rangers is an expansion side affiliated with Sporting Kansas City, and in theory, should provide Mulligan an opportunity to play a much larger role than he'd have with the Cosmos.

Cosmos Head Coach Gio Savarese had the following to say about the decision to send Mulligan on loan:

"This is an excellent opportunity for Jimmy to further his development as a player. He’s grown tremendously in his two seasons at the club, and we think this loan provides an ideal environment for him to take another step forward."

Meanwhile, the player is very excited about the opportunity awaiting him in USL:

"Having played soccer in New York all my life, I’m ready to embrace a new challenge. This is a chance for me to become an even better player, and I’m thankful for it. I can’t wait to step in and contribute."

While Mulligan wasn't likely to make many starts in a healthy Cosmos side, he was one of our better options at fullback should one of the starters suffer a long term injury. That will likely mean Farfan becomes the primary backup for both Ayoze and Hunter Freeman (who has been working at center back quite a bit this preseason), with both David Diosa and Jimmy Ockford serving as depth options at the position.

Best of luck to Mulligan this season in USL, where hopefully, he finds a role as a first team regular.