Germany’s Kicker magazine reports that MetroStars defender Mike Petke has joined Kaiserslautern of the German First Division. The magazine said Petke arrives on a free transfer and that club indicated he had until the summer to prove himself. A club spokesman was quoted as saying, “We want to see how the young man develops.” Petke was one of three winter-break acquisitions by Coach Andy Brehme, a former teammate of Lothar Matthaeus at Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and the German national team. Matthaeus, who played with Petke in the MetroStars defense during the 2000 season, made the recommendation. Kicker also indicated that another former MetroStar, Tom Dooley, voiced his confidence in Petke’s ability to break into the Bundesliga. Dooley won a German Cup (1990) and a Bundesliga (1991) title with Kaiserslautern.