After a protracted search, the Red Bulls have finally found a head coach, and he was right under their collective noses. They removed the interim tag from Mike Petke, making one of the club’s most popular all-time players and its leader in games played, their head coach.
“Ever since I joined New York in 1998, this is the club that has always been closest to my heart. I am thrilled to have earned this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It is truly a dream come true,” Petke said. “I know there is a lot of work ahead and our challenge is not easy. However, I am excited to take hold of my new responsibility and hopeful that I can help build a hard-working team that our club’s loyal supporters can all be proud of.”
Petke, 36, just finished his second season as an assistant coach on New York’s staff after a 13-year playing career that included two stints with the club from 1998-2002 and 2008-10. The Bohemia, NY native holds the club record for games played with 169 (196 in all competitions), games started (158 regular season) and minutes played (14,060 regular season).
“Mike is very passionate about our club and has shown us that he has the leadership and organizational qualities to be our head coach,” said Red Bulls Sporting Director Andy Roxburgh. “He is a terrific servant for this club, from being a top player to most recently heading our reserve squad.
“Mike has earned this opportunity and he will have the full support of our staff to help ensure the team’s success. We believe that his experience both as a player and coach in American soccer will be a significant asset as we head into the 2013 season.”
Petke had humbly said he never asked for the head coaching job because he cared too much about the club and didn’t feel in his heart he was ready for it. Now the Red Bulls had better hope he was either wrong or just being humble.