Red Bulls head of sport Jochen Schneider (Photo courtesy of the New York Red Bulls)
HARRISON, N.J. — New York Red Bulls head of sport Jochen Schneider looked toward the South Ward, where the most passionate fans stand just beyond the south goal inside Red Bull Arena, during a summer match while his side struggled and clawed to stay in playoff contention.
There the ultras held a banner reading “Just Not Good Enough,” — a sentiment that would get any high-ranking member of any management team within an athletic organization hot under the collar. But not so much Schneider.
“They were completely right,” he said during his exit interview on Wednesday afternoon inside Red Bull Arena.
While the MLS playoffs are in their quarterfinal stage, the Red Bulls once again find themselves watching from the couch after being eliminated in the first round by FC Cincinnati. It’s becoming an all-too-familiar feeling for a club that has made the playoffs 14 years in a row as they’ve been bounced from the first round of the postseason in each of the past five years.
For Schneider, who took over as head of sport in July of 2022, the postseason mediocrity for a franchise that is still looking for its first MLS Cup has gone on long enough.
While interim head coach Troy Lesesne stabilized the club and helped it make the playoffs — cleaning up the mess left by Gerhard Struber — Schneider opted not to renew his deal to officially put the Red Bulls in the market for a new head coach. They also parted ways with sporting director Dennis Hamlett and assistant coach Zach Prince
“We are proud of the run that we made it now 14 times in a row into the playoffs, but let me say this clearly: This is not good enough,” Schneider said. “We need to take the next step and that’s why we made these decisions. That’s why we agreed with Red Bull Soccer to invest in our team and we want to reach the next level.”
That point was further driven home by who was sitting…
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