The Firing Squad

Tuesday, we posted about Markus Holgersson's blog at Swedish website Alltidfullsatt (that's "Always Crowded" for the non-Swedish inclined). There, he shed some light on how the 10 players were cut.

Three officials, unidentified in Holgersson's post, handed down the decision as to whether or not the team would be picking up his option the day after the Red Bulls exited the playoffs.

Thanks to Dave Martinez at Empire of Soccer, we've got some more in the way of details.

The three were Andy Roxburgh, who may or may not have publicly been with the team, as he was announced the day after the Red Bulls were knocked out, Red Bull Director of Global Soccer Gerard Houllier and Ricardo Camps, the team technical director.

I'll let Dave take you from here...

As Holgersson indicated, players were called into the Red Bulls offices the morning after the club's ouster to D.C. United. Alphabetically, one at a time, they were summoned into a room in a manner one source described as "a firing squad." Therein, they met with the trio of the yet to be announced Sporting Director Roxburgh, team technical director Ricardo Campos and Houllier.

Flanked by his freshly minted staff, it was Houllier who would do all the talking - and there wasn't much talking to speak of. He laid down a simple decree to his subjects: if a player did not appear in either of the team's two playoff matches against D.C., he matter-of-factly told them "I've never seen you play" and thus disqualified them from returning next season.

The rest is well worth a read and really dips into the "who's who" right now in Harrison. But as things often go, the more answers you get the more questions you have.