Mike Petke is ready to get his tenure at Real Salt Lake started.
Officially named RSL's head coach last week, Petke will begin his second MLS head-coaching stint in earnest this Saturday with a home game against the Vancouver Whitecaps (9:30 pm ET; TSN4 in Canada and MLS LIVE in the US). Petke is more than pumped for the opportunity, too, as evidenced by the letter he penned to Salt Lake City fans on RSL.com on Tuesday.
"I cannot wait to see you all at Rio Tinto Stadium this Saturday evening for my debut as Real Salt Lake’s head coach," said Petke in the letter. "I’m obviously excited to be on this sideline – OUR sideline – and for us to achieve our goals, I want you to know that we cannot succeed without your phenomenal support.
"As I’ve stated time and time again since arriving in Utah nearly 100 days ago, and reiterated last Wednesday during my RSL introduction, we are fortunate to have Owner Dell Loy Hansen’s commitment from the top and his support of absolutely everything this club needs. System-wide, from the Academy to the Monarchs to RSL, we have the ingredients to bring hardware to Utah and return the RioT to its dominant self."