Schwartz: New Red Bulls Sporting Director Ali Curtis Overcomes Criticisms

By Peter Schwartz
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It's not easy being a general manager or, in the case of soccer, a sporting director. It's a high-pressure job that requires thick skin and the ability to make tough decisions.

So imagine the dilemma that Ali Curtis was in when he was hired as the new sporting director of the Red Bulls back in December. Generally, a new general manager or sporting director is given clearance to bring in his own people, but in his case Curtis found himself in a tough spot.

He inherited a very popular head coach in Mike Petke, who also played for the MetroStars/Red Bulls franchise. Also, the team was coming off the best back-to-back seasons in franchise history. The Red Bulls won a Supporters Shield in 2013 for having the best regular season record in Major League Soccer and then in 2014 they were one goal away from going to the MLS Cup.

But Curtis is a man of conviction and had no choice but to see his vision through. So on Jan. 7, he fired Petke and replaced him with former Montreal Impact head coach Jesse Marsch.

At the end of the day, Curtis did what he thought was in the best interests of the club.

"I couldn't look Mike in the face or look our staff in the face and our players and really want them to buy into our philosophy and into our vision if I felt that I needed to make a coaching change and I couldn't do that because I felt that it was unpopular," said Curtis. "Once I evaluated the situation, I knew that a change needed to be made."

So knowing full well that he was about to become a very unpopular person among the fans, Curtis pulled the trigger. To say that the fans were upset would be an understatement. The move was also criticized by various media outlets.

"It's been really hard," joked Curtis. "I have to be honest. I'm happy that my kids are not at an age that they can read."

In order to proceed with his vision for the club, Curtis believed that the team needed to change the role of the head coach from the traditional responsibilities of Xs and Os, substitutions on the fly, and the ability to carry out a training session. The Red Bulls' new approach meant tweaking things just a bit.

The plan included the implementation of an integrated and broad-based platform that includes sports scientists, analytics, and youth development. Curtis needed a coach that is integrated in all of those areas and found that man in Marsch.

"I really wanted to have a guy like Jesse that embraces the holistic approach to coaching and work within the framework of a club," Curtis said.

Once the coaching change was made, Curtis and the rest of the organization went to work on re-tooling a roster that suffered some big losses, including Thierry Henry and Tim Cahill.

As the draft was approaching, the Red Bulls and other MLS clubs showed plenty of interest in UCLA midfielder Leo Stolz, who won the Hermann Trophy -- the college soccer equivalent of the Heisman. The problem was that Stolz had some options abroad and there were doubts as to whether or not MLS was going to be able to sign him.

So, when the Red Bulls were on the clock with the 18th pick, Stolz was still available and Curtis grabbed him. A few days later, Stolz signed a contract with MLS, so the pick turned out to be a gutsy decision by Curtis that paid off.

"We're elated," said Curtis. "We think we got the steal of the draft."

After successfully acquiring Stolz, Curtis moved onto his next target and that was the acquisition of United States international midfielder and former Seton Hall star Sacha Kljestan.

All of a sudden the Red Bulls' midfield looked a whole lot better.

"Sacha was a guy that we feel just super good about from a character and leadership standpoint," said Curtis. "He's such a high-character guy and he will really help our midfield."

At this point, even the naysayers have to be excited about what's going on at Red Bull Arena as the team has reportedly surpassed 9,500 season tickets sold. Although the jury is still out as to how things are going to unfold, there is plenty of optimism around the club's new regime after dealing with the initial negativity.

"Everyone is super excited," Curtis said. "We've got a lot to prove and we feel really good about the style of soccer that we're going to play and the product that we're going to deliver to the fans."

But while the club is happy about the new direction, there are those on the outside looking in that have described the Red Bulls as the soccer version of "Moneyball," made famous by the Oakland A's of Major League Baseball.

But don't think for a second that the Red Bulls are being frugal and not trying to compete.

"We're doing everything we can to win," Curtis said. "It's not easy to win so you're looking at every nook and cranny to try and find a way to improve the club. Whether that's Moneyball or performance analytics, we want to do as much research as possible so that we can give our players every opportunity there is to win."

Their first opportunity to win will be on March 8 when the Red Bulls open their season at Sporting Kansas City. The home opener is on March 22 when D.C. United pays a visit to Red Bull Arena.

After putting his mark and vision on the club and surviving the initial backlash from the fans, Curtis is excited for the season to start and to experience a dream come true.

He would also like to see his club take home some hardware.

"I'm in my dream job," Curtis said. "This is what I wanted to do in life. I'm at a great club in a fantastic market and they have great fans. I have a plan and I have a vision. We want to win MLS Cup and bring that trophy to New York."

Major League Soccer is getting ready to celebrate its 20th season. The Red Bulls have enjoyed more rough days than good days, especially dating to the MetroStars era of their history.

The last two years were a step in the right direction, but Curtis has a plan for even bigger and better things. Sure, the fans weren't happy with him after the firing of Petke, but the canvas of the 2015 season has yet to be painted.

Remember, things and opinions can change in a New York minute.

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @pschwartzcbsfan. You can also follow the New York Red Bulls @NewYorkRedBulls