17 Facts About Mike Petke

Mike Petke was born on January 30,1976 and is an American former soccer player and coach who was most recently head coach of Major League Soccer club Real Salt Lake.

Mike Petke was drafted by the MetroStars in the first round of the 1998 MLS College Draft.

Mike Petke spent the first five years of his career with MetroStars, becoming the only constant under an ever-changing regime of coaches and players.

Mike Petke won the MLS Cup with DC during the 2004 season.

Mike Petke was then traded to Colorado Rapids in May 2005 in a three-team deal.

Mike Petke helped stabilize the Colorado backline and was a key player in helping the Rapids reach the Western Conference Finals in 2005.

Mike Petke remained a fixture in the heart of the Rapids defense for the next three years.

Mike Petke concluded his last professional season appearing in 16 regular season matches, and helped New York capture its second Eastern Division regular season title.

In thirteen years in MLS, Mike Petke scored thirteen regular season goals and added four assists.

Mike Petke had two caps with the US national team, the first coming on June 7,2001, against Ecuador.

Mike Petke captained the United States Under-21 team, and was a member of the US squad that competed in the 1995 World University Games in Japan.

On January 24,2013, after tenures as an assistant coach and then interim head coach, Mike Petke was named as the club's head coach.

Mike Petke led the Red Bulls to relative success in the 2014 MLS season, as the team made the playoffs and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals, losing there to the New England Revolution.

Nonetheless, Mike Petke was fired by the club in January 2015.

Mike Petke's firing was met with huge backlash by Red Bulls supporters.

Mike Petke was hired as head coach of Real Monarchs in the United Soccer League on December 22,2016.

Just over three months later, on March 29,2017, Mike Petke was named the new head coach of the Monarchs' parent club, Real Salt Lake, replacing Jeff Cassar.