Shockingly, more than six weeks after their season ended, the New York Red Bulls have parted company with manager Mike Petke. The club announced the firing on their website on Wednesday morning, accompanied by some words from sporting director Ali Curtis.
Mike Petke fired by New York Red Bulls
After a season where they won a playoff series against a local rival, New York has fired a club legend.
Mike Stobe/Getty Images
“On behalf of the New York Red Bulls, I want to thank Mike for his service to the club these past two seasons as head coach. Mike will always be an important member of the Red Bull family.”
Petke took charge of the club in 2013 and won the Supporters’ Shield in his first season. While 2014 was less successful, he still guided the club to a playoff berth and a series win over rivals D.C. United for the first time. Previously, Petke was an assistant coach with the team and made 196 appearances for them as a player. In total, Petke spent 11 years of his playing and coaching career with the organization.
Authority to speak about family apparently comes quick at Red Bull Arena, where Curtis has been employed for precisely two weeks. The brief nature of the statement is also interesting, as this was hardly breaking news. Petke was reportedly fired on Tuesday and the news leaked 12-plus hours before they issued this statement.
There have been strong rumors that Red Bull are reducing their investment and would be open to selling the club, which were credible enough that MLS Commissioner Don Garber felt the need to shoot them down.
As one of the club’s best ever players and the only manager to deliver a trophy to the Red Bulls/MetroStars franchise, Petke’s firing has unsurprisingly been met with mass outrage by the fanbase. Curtis and his bosses will need to make a home-run hire and some excellent signings this winter to placate their angry supporters.
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