New York Red Bulls have fired manager Mike Petke after two seasons in charge in a surprising move.
Petke guided the Red Bulls to the Supporters' Shield in his first season and took the club to the Eastern Conference final a year ago, but those exploits and a career record of 30-19-19 did not prevent new sporting director Ali Curtis from dismissing Petke on Tuesday morning.
"On behalf of the New York Red Bulls, I want to thank Mike for his service to the club these past two seasons as head coach," Red Bulls sporting director Ali Curtis said in a brief statement. "Mike will always be an important member of the Red Bull family."