Ali Curtis knew it wasn't going to be a popular decision, but it was one he felt would set up the New York Red Bulls for long-term success.
Curtis, the club's new sporting director, fired head coach Mike Petke on Tuesday and replaced him with Jesse Marsch on Wednesday. The latter move came as a shock to Red Bulls fans given that Petke, a club legend, had found success in his first two years at the helm. But it was a product of Curtis wanting to bring in a coach more in line with his vision for New York, he told reporters.
"At the end of the day, it was my decision. I own it, and it was very difficult," Curtis said during a 30-minute conference call on Wednesday afternoon. "But this decision wasn't about getting rid of Mike. It was more about bringing in Jesse Marsch. We're very excited to have Jesse and I'm looking forward to him sharing his ideas, not just at the first-team level but at all levels of our organization, from our youth development platform all the way to the first team.
"I've mentioned this before: I've built a plan," Curtis later added. "I have a vision and a plan and core values and a style of play of what I want to occur when I'm at a club. When I joined the New York Red Bulls, I joined the New York Red Bulls with a very sophisticated plan in terms of where we need to be over the next 12 months, over the next 36 months and over the next five years. Jesse fits into that plan."
What Marsch brings to the table that Petke does not is experience coaching at several levels of the game in the United States and beyond. Marsch, 41, previously served as the head coach of the Montreal Impact back in 2012 and worked as an assistant on the US national team before that.
He was most recently serving as an analyst for MLSsoccer.com during the 2014 playoffs, and his interest in the areas of "performance and analytics" appealed greatly to Curtis. Talks began two weeks ago to bring Marsch on board, and moved quickly from there.
"Jesse, for me, he embraces an area of performance and analytics," said Curtis, who also confirmed assistant coach Robin Fraser's rumored departure. "He embraces that those areas that are consistent with where I see the club moving and the direction of the club. His approach and ideas as it pertains to youth development as well as the first team and the interplay between those two areas, I believe is very innovative, and it fits very well into where this club is moving in not only over the next 12 months, but really in the long term."
"A value in Jesse is that he's actually had a chance to actually step away from the game, and I think a lot of times when you step away from the game, it gives you a perspective that is different, that is new, and very innovative," Curtis added. "Particularly, through my conversations with Jesse, it's aligned with where we are moving as a club and I felt that was the right decision to make."
Curtis sidestepped a question asking whether the firing of Petke was mandated by the Red Bulls' Austrian owners, reiterating that the decision was his.
"The decision to replace Mike is not a reflection of whether or not we're embracing tradition," said Curtis. "Mike was a big part of the club and we believe he'll be a big part of the club moving forward. At the end of the day, I felt the decision needed to be made in replacing the head coach and I made it. Jesse is going to be great for this club. He fits into our vision great, so we're looking forward to him being a part of this."
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Marsch, for his part, also talked about there being "symmetry" between his and Curtis' vision and work ethic. The former MLS midfielder also stated he is expecting to implement a new playing style at the club, one that he and the club think will lead to more success than was had during the last two seasons under Petke.
"To get briefly and quickly into the playing style, this is an energy drink," said Marsch. "From the beginning it's been clear that Red Bull – as much as there has been some talented teams there, I think there's been success – I think they want to honor playing a more dynamic and uptempo game and incorporating more young players and now having a new direction.
"That fit well with who I am as a coach and how I think about things. I expect our team to evolve, but I also am not here to make sweeping changes. I know there's already a good base of talent here, and now it's just our job to add to it and instill a really strong work ethic and help this thing evolve."
