by MARK FISHKIN

Staff Writer

Commentary: The Red Bull Arena Club Lounge was ugly, awkward theatre for 300 season ticket holders on Friday night. There was plenty of anger at the deflection of the most obvious questions.

Ali Curtis just would not share his reasons for jettisoning beloved coach Mike Petke. Curtis’ lack of direct answers to furious fans’ questions shrouded much of Friday’s Town Hall in an electric, negative energy.

Decorum is not a trait that South Ward members are known for, and some supporters overstepped often, threatening to send the event off the rails. The anger is justified, frankly, after the latest punch to fans’ collective guts. Firing a folk hero of a coach after two highly successful seasons? Including the club’s first trophy in history? It’s almost laughable if you didn’t know the franchise in question.

Obviously, neither Curtis nor Houllier wanted to allow Mike Petke the opportunity to take the training wheels off and make the Red Bulls truly his. However, it’s easy to forget that 2014 was Mike’s second season as a head coach at any level. While no one can doubt Petke’s passion, as a young coach he surely made errors, the most egregious of which was not informing BWP that a yellow card against New England would suspend him for the biggest match of the season.

I believe that Ali Curtis’ plan is a sound one. After a start and a stop, the USL Pro team is a reality. A focus on sports science and performance medicine is a major plus. Bringing longtime academy head Bob Montgomery to the MLS Combine for the first time is a sharp move that starts to connect the highly-regarded Red Bull academy to the first team. In a few years, the notion of players shedding their homegrown tags should be a thing of the past. News of Leo Stolz’s signing is an absolute coup for Curtis. Stolz could be the central attacking mid that the team has missed since Amado Guevara was on the field.

Ironically, it was global Red Bull connections that brought him here.

If Curtis had simply held onto Petke for even half a season, he could have avoided all of this mess. The Red Bulls have to take a step backwards this season. To paraphrase the late Ned Stark, a team does not simply lose Thierry Henry and Jamison Olave and pick up where they left off. Another (traditionally) slow start could have given Curtis the leeway with the fans to install Marsch as coach midseason and soften the blow.

I understand Curtis’ desire to make the team his own starting on day one. It’s clear, however, that the Red Bulls’ Sporting Director seriously miscalculated the fans’ wrath, which was on full display Friday night. Curtis’ lack of direct answers to fan questions did not help his standing with the faithful. On the other hand, Jesse Marsch acquitted himself quite well by providing in clear, short answers, his vision for what he wants from his team.

The difference between the two is illustrated here: On Friday, I asked the panel what they can do to help move forward, to energize the people in the room, to feel good about supporting the team. Curtis said (paraphrasing), “we’re trying to do the right things and bring in some top level players… We’re going to wake up every day and work as hard as we can. We’re going to hold events like this often. We want to build a relationship with you and give some information that otherwise we wouldn’t be able to…” Marsch added, “Talk is cheap. I can say all the right things, but in the end, it’s going to be what we put on the field.”

Despite the Red Bull Out movement, which not all fans of the team subscribe to, I don’t believe the club will sell in the short to near term. The creation of a reserve side and a major expansion to the training center are not the marks of an organization that wants to divest.

Fans desperate for a return to the MetroStars name or colors are frankly out of luck. That’s just not going to happen. I understand the largesse that Red Bull GmbH has provided New York fans, but even with the best stadium in MLS and quality players to date, it’s just very difficult to root for a team named after a consumer product. The Red Bull name invites ridicule from opposing fans everywhere New York plays.

This new management team may be the one that finally delivers the MLS Cup to its long-starving fan base. After this latest episode, however, casual fans and manic supporters alike have every right to turn away from the club for good, or at least until Curtis departs, Petke is reinstalled, or Red Bull sells.

As superb soccer writer Graham Parker has noted, this team is “addicted to reinvention.” Management had a chance to keep its beloved coach and evolve club philosophy at the same time, but instead chose to hit the reset button once again.

This time, however, Red Bull will find that many fans will reach for the same button as well.