Mike Petke always appreciated the beautiful views Salt Lake City had to offer in his visits to Utah as a player and coach.
What he didn’t like was playing or coaching against Real Salt Lake.
“I hated coming to Salt Lake because you guys were so good at home,” the new Real Monarchs coach laughed while in Manhattan Beach for the 2017 MLS Combine.
The age-old phrase “If you can’t beat them, join them” comes to mind, but there is more to Petke signing as the Head Coach for the USL club than that. After leading the New York Red Bulls to the Supporters’ Shield in 2013 – the club’s first ever trophy – Petke found himself without a job in 2014. He had compiled a 34-25-23 record in two seasons at the helm and still was let go. So he did some television and radio work and tried to stay as connected to the game as he could.
Yet still, he yearned to walk the sidelines again.
So when the opportunity arose to lead Real Monarchs in 2017, he leapt at the chance. Now just a few weeks into the new gig, he was beaming with excitement.
“It’s been fantastic, to be quite honest with you. Getting back into this that I’ve been out of for so long,” he smiled, truly moved by the chance to coach again. “It’s been great.”
After only a few weeks, he and Real Salt Lake Head Coach Jeff Cassar have developed a bond as the two work to get on the same page with everything from player selection to coaching style and style of play. That started with a brief retreat in San Diego that saw the coaching staffs for Real Salt Lake and the Monarchs combine forces to establish the tone for the 2017 season and beyond.
In that time, Petke has worked to better know his new co-workers and has seen a lot of similarities between himself and Casar.
“It’s great because we are both cut from the same cloth and we come from the same era. The more people like Jeff in this league, the better,” he said. “In the past, it was watching him on the sideline when we were coaching and not really seeing the inner stuff. But he’s an incredibly intelligent person when it comes to the game and he seeks everybody’s advice around him, but he makes the decision at the end of the day. I’m here to give my input and find my niche to help in any way.”
Now entrenched in scouting for the 2017 MLS SuperDraft, from which several of the five players Real Salt Lake selects will likely be suiting up for the USL squad in their first seasons, Petke has been impressed with the coaching staff and their preparation for the draft.
Although he hasn’t spent much time following the college game in the last two years, his opinion holds a lot of value to Cassar and General Manager Craig Waibel, as he provides a different set of eyes to judge the players participating in the combine in Carson, California, this week.
“It’s a bit more detailed, which I like,” Petke said, contrasting the draft preparation with RSL to his own experience with the Red Bulls. “They have much more on their radar. They aren’t relying solely on how kids play at the combine because it’s just three games and to be sitting in and hearing the specifics is great. They really do their homework.”
As much as he enjoys being included in the draft process, what Petke really looks forward to is getting back on the field coaching the Monarchs. It will start with Real Salt Lake’s training camp on January 23, and then transition into Monarchs camp on February 10 and Petke’s excitement is palpable.
“I’m extremely eager to see the players on February 10 and start up,” he said. “At the same time, I’m just as eager to be a part of the draft and go to Arizona with the first team and watch Jeff and his staff work and take ideas from how he does training sessions an implement that with the Monarchs.”
