It goes without saying that the New York Red Bulls struggle to find attention in the crowded realm of NYC sports. They lack the championship pedigree of the Yankees or the Giants, the sizzle of the Knicks or the Nets, or even the constant comedy of the Mets and the Jets. But Thursday's announcement that Mike Petke has been named the club's 12th head coach gives the team out in Harrison a unique reason you should care; they are gambling on loyalty.
In his 13-year career as an MLS defender, Mike Petke never became a household name, but he became a legend to NY area fans for his grit, determination, and passion. His trajectory makes him one of just a few players who spanned both the MetroStars and New York Red Bulls eras. His seven combined years in New York left him holding records for game played, starts, minutes played, yellow cards, and yes, even red cards.
Arguably, Petke became the face of the club—more than Juan Pablo Angel, more than Thierry Henry, more than Tim Howard. Petke may have played for Colorado and (ugh) DC United, but he always identified with the club in NYC.
"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 in a team statement. He is unequivocally loved by team supporters - Tim Hall from the Empire Supporters Club explained why in 2011:
"Petke’s a local boy, and we always love that. He’s always the first one to turn and applaud the fans at the end of the game, and that is international currency with soccer fans the world over. When the team needed a rallying symbol for the playoffs, Petke’s blonde hair turned red. When the team needed to send a message after Tampa Bay’s Mamadou Diallo assaulted Metrostars goalkeeper Mike Ammann, it was Petke who wrote “August 16: Crime of the Century/Revenge is Coming” on his shirt, then gave himself a reason to reveal it to the world by scoring one of his five goals during his New York career. We, the fans, loved that, and him, so much that we took up a collection to pay Mike’s fine from the league. And when the team needed to send a representative to Madison Square Garden to speak for the Metrostars after the 9/11 tragedy, of course it was the boy from Long Island."
Petke's retirement lead him to RBNY's front office, where he happily served as an assistant coach under Hans Backe. His appointment to interim head coach after Backe's firing was widely regarded as a stop gap measure as all rumors that followed indicated it would be business as usual. The club appeared to be chasing various European head coaches that were, to be generous, not top talent.
But over those two months of searching for a coach, the landscape changed. Those European coaches, rumored time and time again to be "imminent,” failed to reach deals. Reports started appearing in the soccer media that some of the executives responsible for finding the coach wanted someone with MLS experience. And Petke quietly began to shine—showing his strength at working with the team, connecting with supporters, helping to scout player acquisitions, speaking to the media, and bossing both the SuperDraft and the Supplemental Draft.
Today's announcement was a surprise, but not solely because Petke was named. Even Thursday morning, reports were that European candidates were still in the mix. Sporting Director Andy Roxburgh spoke on a conference call today as to why Petke was the right man for the job:
"Mike has been on the radar as part of the selection process more or less after the first few weeks that I got to New York. I worked with him on the pitch for two weeks when the players were in training, and from that moment on I was really impressed by Mikey. He's charismatic, he's well organized, he gets the respect of the player. And of course, very very important in all of this, is that Mike is very experienced in terms of the MLS. If you brought a coach in from Europe, he might be experienced in Europe, but he would be totally inexperienced here in the US. Mike starts with that enormous advantage - he knows everybody, he knows the league, and he's absolutely passionate about the club."
For a club that has so often deferred to foreign expertise to lead the team - Petke is only the third American head coach in club history - Roxburgh's acknowledgement that knowing and understanding the league is important is a change that cannot be ignored.
The signs of a change in thinking didn't stop there. Asked about the european reputation the club has developed, Roxburgh spoke strongly that this needed to be New York's team: "New York can't be a satellite club for Europe. It's a club that's based in New York and New Jersey. It needs to have its own roots."
In an off season that has been full of good moves, Roxburgh's comments spoke the loudest that new the upper management at Red Bull may finally "get it".
Make no mistake that this appointment is a risk. (Roxburgh slyly referred to the coming year as "an interesting adventure".) There's no avoiding the fact that Petke has not coached the senior team before. He will need a strong team of assistants, and announcements for those should be coming in the following days. Petke's transition from "one of the guys" to "the boss" may hit bumps, as many have wondered if Petke can deal with the sometimes cruel drive that Thierry Henry possesses. And Petke's obvious love of the club is a double-edge sword—like a surgeon operating on their own kid, what happens if it all goes south?
The stakes for the 2013 season are high. For Petke, his legacy is on the line; a poor season would mean he's let down the club and the supporters that have full trust in him. For the higher ups like Roxburgh and Gerard Houllier, a poorly justified coaching change down the road could bring on a supporter revolt the likes of which MLS has never seen. And there is the upside: if Petke and Roxburgh can lead the team to their first trophy in franchise history, the big gamble will pay off huge.
So for those who have tuned out the team because of "the brand", those who can't feel a connection to a club that is part of a larger entity, here's your olive branch; Roxburgh knows this club needs to have the local connection. For those that can't find anything to get excited about with US soccer, here's your storyline. For those who grew tired with the team's European fascination, here's a new American flavor. And for those who only care about sports to rubberneck at the drama, there will almost certainly be some of that too. (Not that this team has ever lacked drama.)
The boy from Long Island is in charge of one of the largest soccer clubs in the US. Whatever happens in 2013, it will be worth watching.
