“Change is opportunity.”
This mantra echoed through the Interform Club at Rio Tinto Stadium as Real Salt Lake Owner Dell Loy Hansen introduced Mike Petke as the club’s fourth head coach in its 13-year existence. As he was welcomed into the RSL family, he joined a community that he had long admired from afar throughout his playing and coaching career.
“The passion that I’ve seen from this organization for the last 10-12 years has been something of a benchmark. Looking back on coming to play games here has been a scary thing - the culture that you guys have created and the teams you’ve put on the field,” Petke said before donning an RSL scarf for photos with Hansen and RSL General Manager Craig Waibel.
Petke comes with great credentials. The former longtime MLS standout defender coached the Red Bulls to the Supporters’ Shield in his first season at the helm, then was on the brink of the MLS Cup final in his second season.
He takes over an RSL team that has reached the playoffs in eight of the last nine seasons, but is just 0-2-2 through four matches with just one goal scored. The offensive struggles have been a focal point as RSL looks to break out of the early swoon, and one that Petke addressed in his meeting with the media.
“My offensive philosophy is to score goals and win games,” Petke quipped. “I look at the team offensively and the weapons that we have … it’s a very high-powered offense and I think that they are an animal waiting to be released from a cage. It’s on myself and the coaching staff to put them in the right situations to break out of that cage.”
In addition to the first team, Petke also has a focus on the entire organization – from RSL down through the Academy. With RSL’s eventual move to the new training complex in Herriman, the club is amplifying its focus on developing young talent. For that reason, Hansen said, the search for a new head coach wasn’t simply a pursuit of a bench boss.
“Real Salt Lake is a great franchise. It’s willing to go through the door of change to see if there isn’t a bigger future, a brighter opportunity or that we can get to a new height,” Hansen said. “In seeking a coach, you’re not only looking for a great field strategist. You’re looking for a leader. That was paramount in our search. We believe with Mike we found an exceptional choice who can lead that change that is inevitable to make Real the team it has to become.”
Petke will assume his new duties beginning next week after RSL faces Minnesota United on Saturday. His former assistant Mark Briggs was elevated to the head coach position with the Monarchs, who will host Phoenix Rising at Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday.
