HANOVER, N.J. — Chris Armas has known Mike Petke for a long time, long before he was in his same shoes as the New York Red Bulls coach, long before he had bleached blonde hair and was a MetroStars defender.
Armas, three years Petke’s elder, goes back nearly three decades to when the two were just up-and-coming players on Long Island, New York.
“When he was a younger player, he could play any position on the field because he could read the game well, and that’s why he had a long career playing, and it’s why he has a career in coaching,” Armas said after training Friday. “Because it’s not just a guy that has passion. He actually reads the game well and has lots of ideas. That’s how he is now and that’s how he was when he was a player.”
For the first time since he was unceremoniously fired after leading the Red Bulls to the 2014 Eastern Conference finals — a move met with vitriol among supporters who adored Petke the player and coach — the native son will coach at Red Bull Arena.
On Saturday night, he’ll be in the visiting technical area as the coach of Real Salt Lake, opposite the South Ward, who will no doubt chant his name.
Armas, who will stand where Petke once stood, knows what to expect.
“It’s a homecoming for Mike,” he said. “He’s a New York kid, he’s got family here. He coached here, was very successful here. As far as I remember and know when I was in that building watching him coach, he’s respected and well-liked by the supporters and fans. So in many ways, I think it’s a special place for him.”
Armas said Petke the player maybe didn’t get enough credit for his soccer IQ. He’s remembered as a heart-on-his-sleeve rugged defender. But Petke, a three-time MLS All-Star, was so much more.
“Mike is a winner, he’s a competitor, he understands how to get the edge, how to be comfortable in those games when he was a player,” Armas said. “He just wasn’t a worker. He wasn’t just a guy that ran around and competed and was hard to play against. He was a good passer. He was intelligent.”
The same is true of Petke as a coach, Armas said. Yes, he’s notorious for his post-game outbursts against referees, which have resulted in fines and suspensions — something he wasn’t all that unfamiliar with as a player, either. But there’s more to Petke than profanity-laced tirades and sound bytes that go viral.
“As passionate as he is, I don’t think he gets enough credit for the coach that he is,” Armas said. “I think he’s got his team playing well, they have a clear way to play and the players play for him. I think on the day, he’s coming for three points. He’ll know it’s going to be a tough game, as I do, but he’ll come with passion as always, but with a calculated way to go about the game.”