The Red Bulls made the right call in firing coach Hans Backe, according to D.C. star Dwayne De Rosario, who played under the latter during a dysfunctional 2011 season. He said the veteran Swede managed to mess up a nearly foolproof team, and replacing him with former assistant Mike Petke was a wise choice.
“Yeah, I think so. It was a team where you couldn’t go wrong. I think (Backe) had all the tools, and he just didn’t know how to use the tools, no disrespect,’’ said DeRosario, who was traded away to D.C. on June 27, 2011. “Petke is the right guy for the job. He has the respect of the fans, he’s had the opportunity to be an assistant coach and learn behind the coach.
“I’m glad to hear he got the call and I’m glad they gave him the opportunity…I don’t think you’ll ever find a guy more passionate about the club than Mike. I know he’s going to do good. He’s going to make New York a more competitive side than (they were before).’’
They’ve proven better at scoring than they have competing in recent years, simply not hard-nosed or organized enough in the key moments despite MLS’ highest payroll and a star-studded roster that includes Thierry Henry and Tim Cahill. And De Rosario said they were simply hamstrung by not getting the proper gameplans and instruction they needed, a poor reflection on Backe.
“I’d say they lacked the organization because of the lack of information they were getting, in terms of position, in terms of system, in terms of when stuff breaks down, the tactical side of things, organization defensively, organization going forward,’’ said DeRosario, whose rediscovered his game as soon as he was shipped to United, going on to win league MVP honors that year.
“It was like every man for himself. I know when I played here it was like that. It wasn’t really like they had a system of understanding defensively this is how our shape is going to be. Petke being a defensive guy, I’d think that’s one thing he’ll really want to stress into the guys’ head, that everybody works for each other.’’