#petke

Real Salt Lake fires head coach Mike Petke following rant against referees

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May 18, 2019; Sandy, UT, USA; Real Salt Lake head coach Mike Petke waits for the start of their game against the Toronto FC at Rio Tinto Stadium. (Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports)

After having unprecedented fines levied…

USA Today Sports

November 3, 20187:01PM EDT

SANDY, Utah – Real Salt Lake head coach Mike Petke has played 26 different starting lineups this season. His 26th was arguably his most successful: The one that earned RSL’s 3-2 victory over LAFC in the Knockout Round of the Audi 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs on Thursday night.

It can be tricky to maintain buy-in and effort from the players on the field and avoid negative feelings in the locker room when lineups and tactics are shuffled, but Petke has managed to pull it off.

“It’s knowing what’s expected at every position,” Salt Lake forward Corey Baird said. “There’s a standard we have set. We know when you’re in this spot, you know what’s expected of you. No matter who’s in the game, everyone knows what’s expected, the standard they have to uphold, and if they’re not going to do that they’re not going to get on the field. We have done a good job throughout the year just making sure that we have that standard.”

Baird replaced Joao Plata in the lineup early in the season, was overtaken by Plata through the summer and found himself back in the XI on Thursday. Midfielder Sunday “Sunny” Stephen was on the opposite side of such a decision on Thursday night.

“I have always said one player’s misfortune is another player’s opportunity,” Petke said. “I went with Luke [Mulholland] because over the last month of training he has been the highest worker and the most demanding. You could sense he’s worked so hard to get back [from back surgery], but he’s earned the right to start. I talked to Sunny. It was a sense that we had and it worked out.”

Mulholland provided exactly what Petke needed, and Sunny was ready to play, coming off the bench in the late going to help close out the win. Sunny said Petke makes it easy because of how open and specific he is with the players.

“For Mike, he’s been there from the start and he shows his character,” said the Nigerian. “What he wants from you, he tells you. We have been helping each other in every area we could. Whoever plays, everyone is ready. Even if he pulls you aside, you should be ready to play. The mentality is there. The training has been phenomenal. Everyone should be ready to go.”

Given the breadth of lineup changes Petke has made through this season, it’s impressive to see just how many players he has gotten solid efforts from. He’s switched out players for the best results throughout the regular season and now into the playoffs.

At left back, Aaron Herrera and Danny Acosta have platooned over much of the year. Brooks Lennon went from the first attacking player off the bench to starting right back. Baird saw time at center forward instead of his typical winger role. Damir Kreilach has bounced around from a holding midfielder to a false No. 9. Late-season signing Nedum Onuoha got up to speed in a month and a half to lend a great performance on Thursday. Center back Nick Besler even provided a solid performance as a midfielder in the win over New England on Oct. 18.

“It’s a credit to the players who have stepped up when they have maybe not got the minutes they wanted,” Petke said.

Given RSL’s success against Sporting Kansas City (1-0-1) so far this year, Petke may not spring too many surprises in Sunday’s Western Conference Semifinal first leg at Rio Tinto Stadium (10 pm ET | FS1, TVAS, TSN5).

But you can expect what whoever is in the starting XI will be ready.

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Petke: Real Salt Lake deserve to make Audi 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs

USA Today Images October 29, 201812:39PM EDT

After conceding that his team had a “one in a million” chance to make the Audi 2018 MLS Cup playoffs, Real Salt Lake head coach Mike Petke believes the opportunity is well deserved. 

With RSL the only MLS club stuck with sitting out Decision Day presented by AT&T, the LA…

USA Today Images

October 29, 201812:39PM EDT

After conceding that his team had a “one in a million” chance to make the Audi 2018 MLS Cup playoffs, Real Salt Lake head coach Mike Petke believes the opportunity is well deserved. 

With RSL the only MLS club stuck with sitting out Decision Day presented by AT&T, the LA Galaxy just needed a home win over already-eliminated Houston Dynamo. The Galaxy took a 2-0 lead into halftime, but squandered it and lost 3-2, allowing RSL to retain their place above the playoff line.

“Fate intervened,” Petke said on Sirius XM show Counter Attack on Sunday. “I think my players deserve to be in the playoffs so we are ecstatic.”

His team did not play today but @realsaltlake is heading to the @MLS Playoffs.

Head Coach Mike Petke will be joining @davisjsn & @BrianDunseth @ 7:20pm ET. #DecisionDay pic.twitter.com/NJV7AqiC03

— SiriusXM FC 157 ⚽️📻 (@SiriusXMFC) October 28, 2018

All week, Petke and the team have trained with the plan to play in the Knockout Round and prepared accordingly. Now, after appearing to be at a disadvantage by not having a game on Decision Day, they are the only team that will play midweek on full rest.

They travel to Los Angeles to face LAFC on Thursday (10:30 pm ET; ESPN2, UniMás in US | TSN, TVAS in Canada).

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October 26, 20185:04PM EDT

Aside from the action on the field on Sunday for Decision Day presented by AT&T, perhaps the biggest storyline on the day is what Real Salt Lake and head coach Mike Petke will be doing.

But the manager himself says he’s not sure if he’ll even watch the key game for his team’s prospects.

Real Salt Lake are the odd team out on Decision Day, with an odd number of teams in the league this year, leaving one to finish play before the final day of the regular season. RSL drew that straw, and their regular season slate is complete.

Sitting in sixth place in the Western Conference, with the LA Galaxy capable of passing them for that final berth in the Audi 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs with a win over the Houston Dynamo, RSL have to play the waiting game on Sunday. But while Petke is looking forward to having a barbecue, he was coy on whether he would watch LA-Houston.

“Yet to be determined,” Petke told reporters at training on Thursday. “I’m watching more of the teams that we likely will play and I have been doing that. Sunday, I’ll have a barbecue with my staff and the families, and we’ll take it from there.”

Given the unique situation for RSL right now, Petke gave his side a few days off after losing 3-0 to the Portland Timbers last week, and now the team has started working on playoff preparations.

“We started preparing today for the three likely [scenarios],” he explained. “There’s two likely teams that we feel we’re going to play, one maybe an outside shot. They all play somewhat similar, and we started preparing for that game next Wednesday. And until something else happens that says we’re not going to play next Wednesday, we’ll continue to prepare for that game.”

Petke made headlines when he declared in the aftermath of the loss at Portland that RSL, despite currently sitting in a playoff spot, have a “one in a million chance” of actually playing in the postseason. With more time to consider the situation, he walked back those comments, while still acknowledging the Galaxy remain favorites in their game.

“Answering a question right after a loss right there, perhaps ‘one in a million’ is a little high, but if LA wins, we’re out. If they lose or tie, we’re in. So what happens Sunday is everything.

“It’s reactive after a game, and like I said, we’re preparing as if we’re in the playoffs, because at this moment we are…If it’s a bad scenario for us, our attention turns to preparing for preseason next year.”

And while the outcome of the season hasn’t been determined, Petke had simple words of wisdom for his team under the circumstances.

“You never want to leave your fate in someone else’s hands,” he said.

The Winning 11 Pick ‘Em’

Who ya got on Decision Day? Pick which teams will win on MLS Decision Day 2018 presented by AT&T (Oct. 28) for a chance to win a trip to the MLS Cup 2018. It’s FREE and easy. Make your picks now!

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