The Red Bulls needed this.
They needed Sunday's 2-0 win over D.C. United in their home opener at Red Bull Arena more than the three points in the MLS standings and more than the satisfaction that comes with beating their most hated rival.
More than anything, though, they needed it for their disillusioned and disgruntled fans — many of whom came to the stadium still stung by management's stunning firing of popular coach Mike Petke, a dismissal that caused a massive stir in the offseason.
The Red Bulls needed to show their fans a strong product on the field to help them stop thinking about the fact Petke is no longer the coach and international star Thierry Henry, who retired after last season, is no longer the face of the franchise.
A poor performance Sunday could have been disastrous for the Red Bulls going forward.
As it is, the home crowd for the opener was moderately disappointing. The stadium was only about two-thirds full. Not a good showing for a team that's been one of the most successful in the league the last two years and that plays in one of the best stadiums in MLS. Not a week after 43,000 showed up at Yankee Stadium to see the New York City Football Club in its inaugural home match.
As soon as the ball was kicked off, the fans in the supporter section behind the south goal were chanting, "Michael Petke, Michael Petke,'' as a form of public protest over his firing.
A short time later, a large banner was unfurled in the section that read: "Legends Deserve Better.''
Whether or not Petke is actually a legend is up for debate. He coached only two years with the Red Bulls. But his first season produced a Supporters' Shield trophy, given to the team with the best regular-season record and in his second season, the Red Bulls came within a mere goal of advancing to the MLS Cup.
Legend or not, the point is this: The Red Bulls' No. 1 mission is to divert their fans' attention away from the negativity of the offseason of unrest with the Petke firing and Henry retiring and focus it on a bright future.
Everyone needs to chill out and move on.
And Sunday was a good start, with Bradley Wright-Phillips, their top scorer, scoring the first goal and assisting on the second.
The product, across the board, was strong for the Red Bulls, who dominated D.C., and as the game wore on the "Petke'' chants waned.
"This was a huge game for us, and I knew it going in, the veterans knew it, even though we were trying not to make it too big,'' said Lloyd Sam, who scored the second goal. "For us to keep the fans with us, it was important to win the game.''
Goalkeeper Luis Robles said, "We understand that, at the end of the day, we're going to be judged by results.''
Robles said eliminating the offseason unrest in the fans' mind "has been a theme all preseason and it will continue to be all season.''
Jesse Marsch, the coach who was hired to replace Petke, was somewhat defiant after the game in his belief in his system, how good this team can be and that the fans will embrace this team.
"If the team is right, people will like the team … and like me as well,'' he said. "I know if we get this team right, everyone will follow. I hope the fans saw what we have here. I know people have talked about how this was going to be a down year, a rebuilding year, but this is a pretty good team and we want to show that.''
Wright-Phillips said it was "very important not just to get the win, but to show what we have here.
"This [game] might have answered some of [the fans'] questions,'' Wright-Phillips said. "If this [performance] doesn't get them in their seats, I don't know what will.''
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