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Real Salt Lake fans, or at least a vocal subset of them, finally got their wish — kind of. Mike Petke, former New York Red Bulls coach, is joining the organization as Real Monarchs head coach.
That news was broken by RSL commentator and Sirius XM radio personality Brian Dunseth and confirmed by RSL Communications shortly thereafter.
Oh, and newly minted @RealMonarchs Head Coach @petkemike joins us at 5.40pm ET on @SiriusXMFC Ch85 #CounterAttack
— Brian Dunseth (@BrianDunseth) December 22, 2016
Petke, 40, played for 12 years in MLS as a defender, served as an assistant coach for New York Red Bulls for two years, and served as their head coach for another two. His firing in January 2015 was met by uproar from NYRB supporters, particularly as he’d just led the club to an Eastern Conference final, and the year prior, he’d led the team to an MLS Supporters Shield.
There’s not yet word on other additions to the Real Monarchs coaching staff, but one would readily imagine that Petke will have his preferences there.