Mike Petke

Mike Petke

Personal information
Full name	Mike Petke
Date of birth	January 30, 1976 (1976-01-30) (age 35)
Place of birth	Bohemia, New York, United States
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Playing position	Defender
Youth career
1995–1998	Southern Connecticut Fighting Owls
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1998–2002	MetroStars	134	(5)
2003–2005	D.C. United	58	(5)
2005–2008	Colorado Rapids	80	(3)
2008-2010	New York Red Bulls	35	(0)
National team‡
2001–2003	United States	2	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of October 1, 2010. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of April 3, 2009

Mike Petke (born January 30, 1976 in Bohemia, New York) is a former American soccer player who is now an assistant coach with New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.

Career

College

Petke attended St. John the Baptist Diocesan High School in West Islip, New York, where he was selected as an All-American, before moving on to play college soccer in Southern Connecticut State University. In 1995 he led SCSU to the NCAA Division II National title and was named Conference Rookie of the Year. In 1997 he was named NECC Defensive Player of the Year, and was a consensus NSCAA/Umbro First Team All-America selection.

Professional

Petke was drafted by the MetroStars in the first round of the 1998 MLS College Draft. He made his MLS debut on April 17, 1998 in a 1-0 win over Chicago Fire. He spent the first five years of his career with MetroStars, becoming the only constant under an ever-changing regime of coaches and players. A fan favorite, Petke remains the MetroStars/Red Bulls all-time leader in games played with 169 (196 in all competitions).

Petke gained notoriety on August 20, 2000, four days after Tampa Bay Mutiny forward Mamadou Diallo broke the ribs of MetroStars goalkeeper Mike Ammann. Petke, who rarely scored goals, scored in the MetroStars win over Colorado, and unveiled a t-shirt that said August 16: Crime of the Century on the front and Revenge is Coming on the back. While such support for a fallen comrade was welcomed by teammates and MetroStars fans, it was frowned upon by the league and Petke was fined for his efforts. Diallo, however, received no disciplinary action following the injuries to Ammann.

After an outstanding season in 2000, in which Petke helped lead the club to the Eastern Division title, Petke went on a two week trial with Bundesliga side Bayern Munich. After his trial with Bayern, another German club FC Kaiserslautern offered Petke a contract, but Petke elected to remain with Metrostars.

Petke, a three-time MLS All-Star, was traded to D.C. United with a draft pick and an allocation for Eddie Pope, Jaime Moreno, and Richie Williams. He won the MLS Cup with DC during the 2004 season. Petke was then traded to Colorado Rapids in May 2005 in a three-team deal. He helped stabilize the Colorado backline and was a key player in helping the Rapids reach the Western Conference Finals in 2005. He remained a fixture in the heart of the Rapids defense for the next three years.

On November 26, 2008, New York Red Bulls signed Petke on waivers, and agreed to terms on a new multi-year agreement. The move brought Petke back to New York six years after leaving MetroStars. In his first season with Red Bulls, Petke appeared in 19 regular season matches. On 20 March 2010, Petke scored the second goal for Red Bulls in a 3-1 victory against Santos FC, which was the first match played at the new Red Bull Arena.^[1] During the 2010 season Petke announced that he would retire at the end of the season. He concluded his last professional season appearing in 16 regular season matches, and helped New York capture its second Eastern Division regular season title.^[2]

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

International

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

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

Post-playing career

After retiring from the game, Petke took a job as Manager of Business Operations with New York Red Bulls.

Career statistics

[1]

Club performance			League		Cup		League Cup		Continental		Total
Season	Club	League	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
USA			League		Open Cup		League Cup		North America		Total
1998	MetroStars	Major League Soccer	27	1	2	0	1	0	-	-	30	1
1999			25	1	1	0	-	-	-	-	26	1
2000			30	3	4	0	5	0	-	-	39	3
2001			25	0	1	0	3	0	4	1	33	1
2002			27	0	2	0	-	-	-	-	29	0
2003	D.C. United		25	3	3	1	2	0	-	-	30	4
2004			26	1	1	0	4	0	-	-	31	1
2005			7	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	7	1
2005	Colorado Rapids		19	0	-	-	3	0	-	-	22	0
2006			26	0	2	0	2	0	-	-	30	0
2007			24	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	24	1
2008			11	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	11	2
2009	New York Red Bulls		19	0	1	1	-	-	1	0	21	1
2010			16	0	2	0	0	0	-	-	18	0
Total	USA		307	13	19	2	20	0	5	1	351	16
Career total			307	13	19	2	20	0	5	1	351	16

References

1. ^ A Grand Opening Night
2. ^ Decade later Petke and NY are champs again

External links

• MLS player profile

Persondata
Name	Petke, Mike
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	January 30, 1976
Place of birth	Bohemia, New York, United States
Date of death
Place of death