Report: Ali Curtis slated as Red Bulls' next sporting director

Looks like the New York Red Bulls got their man. Kind of.

Over at Big Apple Soccer, Kristian Dyer is reporting that Ali Curtis, the league's senior director of player relations and competition, is slated to take over the position officially vacated by Andy Roxburgh last week.

Curtis' name was floated as early as October as the Scot's replacement, but it seemed that former Vancouver Whitecaps sporting director Tom Soehn became the front runner earlier this month. According to Dyer, the Red Bulls extended a one-year offer, but Soehn turned it down.

The pick could be an interesting one. While Soehn (and Curt Onalfo, another reported candidate) come from pure soccer backgrounds -- both were players and coaches -- Curtis' experience primarily comes from navigating the murky waters of Major League Soccer's roster rules, having spent a good amount of time with the league office.

All that means the Red Bulls will have to find a suitable candidate to replace Cris da Silva, the former head of scouting who left for a gig with U.S. Soccer in mid-October and scouted Lloyd Sam and Luis Robles. That would allow the scouts to figure out who to buy and Curtis to figure out how to get it done.