Mike Petke predicts USMNT future for RSL's Justen Glad

ExtraTime Radio Podcast

LISTEN: No better way to start your week than real talk from Mike Petke. The Real Salt Lake head coach talks midseason turnarounds, MLS Cup playoffs, Justen Glad's future, Jefferson Savarino's purchase option, how he squashed the beef with Joao Plata and much more (25:35)! Plus, everything you need to know from Week 29. Subscribe now and "Like" our Facebook page so you never miss a show! Download this episode!

Mike Petke knows what it takes to be an effective MLS center back.

The Real Salt Lake head coach spent 12 years marshaling the middle of the backline for three different MLS clubs, making 307 career regular season appearances and winning one MLS Cup during his lengthy career.

Though he hasn’t been with RSL long, Petke knows he’s got a special center back on his hands in Justen Glad.

The 20-year-old Homegrown, who was unveiled as No. 18 on the MLS 24 Under 24 rankings released on Tuesday, has been stellar with Real Salt Lake this year, his fourth as a pro. After missing the first few months of the season due to injury and while on international duty with the US Under-20s, Glad has started RSL’s last 15 games, helping the club to an 8-4-3 record and +14 goal difference in that span. Those are dramatic improvements over RSL’s first 16 games, when the club went 4-10-2 with a -20 goal differential.

Petke waxed poetic about the budding center back star on Monday’s edition of ExtraTime Radio, telling the guys that he sees a USMNT future in store for Glad.

“His potential, like I’ve said before is through the roof,” Petke said. “But potential’s just a word. Again, I’ve told him so many times that he needs to realize that he needs to dedicate himself like he has, not let headlines get to him and have a goal in mind – which I know he does – and not stop until you reach that.

“What makes him so special besides all the intangibles that I’ve talked about so much with his touch, his reading of the game, his speed, his 1-on-1 defending, is he has unbelievable ability to listen. [Whether it’s] in video or me 1-on-1 with him for me to try to correct him on one or two things and for him to go out and start work on that immediately and seeing that every day, every game, that a mistake perhaps or positioning that he was off a little bit the day before or the game before, that’s corrected.

“That’s huge. A lot of players are set in their ways or they have a style and they’re not willing to adapt. Justen –  very much aside from all the intangibles – is very good at correcting himself. I would be very surprised if he keeps going like this if he’s not at the national team at some point. I’ve been thinking about this January camp coming up but it’s a big year for the US team going into the World Cup, so it might not happen here, but if he keeps going the way he keeps going, he’s gonna be A+ material both for the club and the national team.”

Glad, Petke and fifth-place Real Salt Lake will look to hold onto their position above the Western Conference playoff line on Saturday, when they take on the LA Galaxy at StubHub Center (10:30 pm ET; MLS LIVE).