HARRISON, N.J. (February 16, 2017) – The New York Red Bulls announced today that the club and Sporting Director Ali Curtis have mutually agreed to part ways. Over the past four weeks, Curtis and the Club tried to work through differing views. Ultimately, both sides agreed to part ways.
“I thank the New York Red Bulls for the opportunity,” said Ali Curtis. “It was a privilege and honor to serve the fans, players and staff. I am very proud of all the work and accomplishments of our team, both on and off the field, from the youth academy, through the USL team and to the first team. I would also like to thank the families of all of the staff and players as their support helped to fuel our achievements. Lastly, the lifeblood of a club remains its fans, and I would be remiss if I did not thank them for their tremendous passion. The New York Metropolitan area will always be very special to me as my two children were born here, and loved cheering at Red Bull Arena. I will bring all of these good memories to my next opportunity in this great sport.”
Curtis was announced as Sporting Director in December of 2014. Under Curtis’s leadership, the club won the 2015 Supporters’ Shield, achieved back-to-back first place finishes in the Eastern Conference and advanced to the 2017 quarterfinal stage of the CONCACAF Champions League. Also during Curtis’s tenure, NYRB II was created where it served as a development platform for youth academy players and young professionals. In 2016, NYRB II won both the 2016 USL Shield and USL Cup.
The club issued the following statement:
“We would like to thank Ali for his contributions to the club over the last two seasons. We wish him the best in all of his future endeavors.”
