New York Red Bulls, sporting director Ali Curtis part ways

The New York Red Bulls have parted ways with sporting director Ali Curtis, the club announced on Thursday.

The New York Red Bulls have parted ways with sporting director Ali Curtis, the club announced on Thursday.

Curtis's status with the club has been of high interest in recent weeks, when it emerged around the time of the MLS SuperDraft that there was a reported rift with Curtis and the club. An odd period of silence ensued, with Curtis left out of any public mention of any Red Bulls transactions, leading up to Thursday's finality.

"Over the past four weeks, Curtis and the club tried to work through differing views," the Red Bulls wrote in their statement. "Ultimately, both sides agreed to part ways."

Man with The Plan: Inside Ali Curtis's task of revamping the Red Bulls

Under Curtis's watch since December 2014, the Red Bulls became one of the more successful, consistent teams in MLS. Curtis hired Jesse Marsch as manager, and the club won the Supporters' Shield in 2015. It finished atop the Eastern Conference in both of his seasons in charge and also made the quarterfinals of the 2016-2017 CONCACAF Champions League, which is still ongoing.

The Red Bulls' USL squad also excelled, with NYRB II winning the 2016 USL Cup and Shield.