by DAVE MARTINEZ

The Jacksonville Armada are set to introduce Tony Meola as their newest head coach this Tuesday afternoon. However, he wasn’t always the front runner for the position.

According to several sources familiar with the negotiations, former New York Red Bulls head coach Mike Petke was a strong contender for the job as well

While EoS regarded Petke as an outlier in the team’s search for a head coach in our initial report last week, new information reveals that the former Metrostars defender came a lot closer to taking the job than previously imagined.

Petke is coming off of two successful seasons at the helm of the New York Red Bulls where he led his club to a Supporters’ Shield victory and nearly took his side to MLS Cup. Like Meola, Petke sought an arrangement that would both feature support from the front office while offering a level of autonomy in player movement. Jacksonville were open to the possibility of that when speaking to both candidates.

As sources tell EoS, however, the sticking point from Petke’s camp was salary. Petke’s asking price was said to be “only a few thousand dollars” from what the Armada offered Meola, keeping him in the conversation for the job. However, Meola’s presentation, pitch and price tag were enough to dissuade team owner Mark Frisch from all other options. In fact, the team was originally poised to make their coaching announcement next week to offer more time to the candidates to make their pitch. However, with Meola’s addition, Jacksonville decided to unveil their new boss Tuesday afternoon.

As for Petke, he continues to look for the right club to join ahead of next season. Some reports had him linked to the Chicago Fire as early as last month, but that is just one of several teams he has spoken to in either MLS, NASL or USL. In fact, one source reveals that Arizona United SC of the USL spoke to Petke’s agent in recent weeks. The extent of said conversations on their vacant coaching position, however, is unknown.