Emotions ran hot on Friday night as the New York Red Bulls front office braintrust, joined by goalkeeper Luis Robles, fielded questions from a select, 300-strong group of often contentious season ticket holders largely centered on the dismissal of former head coach Mike Petke.
Sporting director Ali Curtis and head coach Jesse Marsch, who were both hired in recent weeks, were joined by general manager Marc de Grandpre in an event moderated by Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. Fans were given the oppotunity to question the RBNY decision makers on the team's future direction, as well as the rationale behind the club's decision to cut ties with Petke after two largely successful years that included the 2013 Supporters' Shield, the team's only hardware since its inception nearly two decades ago.
"It was a difficult decision, of course," Curtis explained. "My compass has always been trying to do what's best for the club. You know, that's integrity. You know, Mike was a good coach for our team. At the end of the day we're looking to take this club to the new platform and we've got a new approach -- what we're trying to do with new development, what we're trying to do with USL Pro."
Curtis then confirmed that, late on Friday, he had received a signed agreement from USL Pro for the Red Bulls to field a full-fledged reserve team in the North American third tier starting in 2015.
Marsch, who guided the Montreal Impact to a solid debut MLS season in 2012, also fielded questions about the style he wants to play as well as his expectations -- both on the field and from the fans -- for the coming season.
“You don’t have to like me and you may never like me. That is the role of the coach,” Marsch said. “That isn’t important to me. What’s important to me is the team… If we lose, you will hate me. If we win, maybe you will put up with me. But give this team a chance to take the field and compete.”
Curtis also said that first round SuperDraft pick Leo Stolz would put pen to paper on an MLS contract within 48 hours. The timeline turned out to be much shorter, as Stolz was officially announced as a RBNY player on Saturday afternoon.
Audio for the entire event is embedded at the top of this article.
