It’s not often in 2024 that a player signs for a club under the radar and gives supporters a nice surprise, but for Sam Nicholson, that was firmly the case.
Motherwell fans welcomed Nicholson with open arms, as the former Hearts man was a familiar name to many. Alongside an early support from ‘Well fans, fans of Nicholson’s previous employers were also wading in with support.
Colorado Rapids and Hearts supporters were all pleased to see a player with a spot on attitude and a willingness to work, find a new home. That feeling of being wanted is a great start to life at a new club but for Nicholson, the most perfect start of all was getting off the mark in his new club colours.
“It was really difficult to get to a level of fitness where I could play,” Nicholson admitted.
“There had been so many games and the Livingston match was the first game where I was allowed to start. I was looking forward to it and it was simply a relief to get off the mark.
“It was my first start in six months, on the astro, so we were all thinking I would play an hour or so. I felt alright so played longer, I did start to tire towards the end of the match but it was good.
“The coaching staff have been great with me. We’ve done a lot of stuff after training to get the fitness up. As a player, you want to just play every game but they’ve been smart about it, basically saying I would hurt myself if I went in too soon.”
When you look at Nicholson’s previous clubs and career to date, it would be fair to say, it’s a very unique list of clubs. Born and raised in Edinburgh, he started out with Hearts in the Gorgie, something that he holds very close to his heart.
“Coming through at Hearts was difficult because it’s known for having a good youth system, so you’re always trying to get ahead of someone else,” Nicholson said.
“There were times when I thought they would release me but they were very patient with me. I’m not a built boy, as you can see, and there were times when they weren’t playing me. But, they would say it’s because even though I had ability, they just wanted to nurture me.
“Everyone knows of the financial difficulties the club went through but that was the year I broke through, and it definitely helped me.
“To a Hearts fan, looking at me, it’s sort of one of your own in a way. It’s obviously nice to hear the compliments. I enjoyed my time there and I hold great memories. It was a dream but I think on the other hand, it’s really important for me to say how much I love it here. Like, I’m really enjoying it.”
Not many can say they moved from Hearts to Minnesota, but Sam Nicholson is one who can say just that. An obscure move on paper, Nicholson reckons it’s one he would always have jumped at.
“Minnesota was a strange one,” Nicholson reminisced.
“I feel like when you come through a youth system in Scotland, you’re told to do this and do that but when America became an option, I thought, I didn’t want to not go and then regret it. Because sometimes, that offer may never come again.
“The thought was simply, why not be different. I don’t need to take the same route as everyone else.
“My family are rogue as it is. My brother was in the armed forces and navy. He left home when he was just 16. My mum and dad have moved about. My family are like, if it feels right, just do it!
“You’ve got to experience as many things as you can. I really enjoyed the lifestyle out there.”
After a spell with Minnesota, Nicholson moved to pastures new with Colorado Rapids, where just by its location, there were immediate difficulties.
“The fans at Colorado were loyal, they stuck by the team through a lot of tough times,” Nicholson explained.
“You’re over 5000 feet above sea level. Right now, we train at roughly sea level. So you’re used to having so much oxygen in your system. But over there, oxygen is limited.
“You could go up a set of stairs and begin to struggle breathing. Sometimes, you’d play 90 minutes and just chase the ball. It gets difficult. It’s hard to get fit because you’re tired every two minutes.
“At half-time, they used to allow you to use oxygen tanks. Everyone would use them because they couldn’t breathe.
“The day-to-day is different, your travel is different, you’re travelling a couple of days before a game, experiencing different states. It’s really eye opening.”
Having tasted, and breathed, the American lifestyle, Nicholson made a return back to the UK in 2020 with Bristol Rovers.
“I had a good season there in terms of goals and assists,” Nicholson added.
“We played Rochdale and there were like 3500 travelling fans. A three-and-a-half hour drive but they were there. The owner was great too. He was constantly speaking to the players.
“I came back as my dad, at the time, wasn’t well so I wanted to be closer to home.
“After a year, he was fine so I was like, perfect! I can go back to America. I felt like I hadn’t quite finished in America yet. I still enjoyed living there but, when I was at Bristol, there was an essence of wanting to come back to Scotland. I just had my little boy and we thought, whilst he was still young, we should enjoy living away before he gets settled somewhere.”
But, it’s not just the better weather, relaxed lifestyle and bigger stadiums that are an attractive asset for the MLS, coming up against some of the best players on the planet is also a selling point. But Nicholson experienced how tricky it can be coming up against those types of players.
“Zlatan Ibrahimovic was up there,” Nicholson laughed.
“Carlos Vela, when he was on form, was untouchable. But, Bastian Schweinsteiger was the best I came up against because I had to man mark him. I couldn’t get near him. I got told to stay on him but anytime I got near, he’d just pop things off me. I just shook my head.
“Rooney was always unreal when he was out there. These older players have still got it, that’s the thing. Some think they’re finished but they’ve played at the highest level, Zlatan went to AC Milan when he left!”
