The Red Bulls have been working backwards this offseason. Changes from the players to the coaching staff have been well underway – without a coach at the helm to make the final call.

That may soon change, according to Red Bulls interim head coach Mike Petke.

In a revealing interview with Sirius XM’s “Counter Attack” radio show, the long time Red Bull player and coach gave a timeline for the expected announcement of a new head coach.

“Last that I heard is that it should be announced this week,” Petke told show hosts and U.S. National team legends Tony Meola and John Harkes. “However, I can’t confirm that. It’s really not in my hands. I am assuming it’s announced in the next couple of days.”

That was Wednesday. Could a move happen before the weekend?

Though he recognized the urgency of the fans for the team to secure and announce it’s staff, Petke took a different view on the situation.

“There will be a coach shortly,” he said. “That is not an issue at this point to be honest with you.

“One thing I like is the patience,” he explained. “They are not rushing into something. I know people can say it’s crunch time now, we need a coach, preseason is starting; however, we are well prepared for that. We can start right away. We are okay with that. He comes in and we are right where we need to be.”

While the team waits on their announcement, Petke has taken a full managerial role with the side. “I have been non-stop in the office, over the phone, and putting together the preseason along with the technical staff alone with the preseason and offseason moves,” he detailed.

“It’s going very well … we’ve made a lot of moves, we have a lot of plans for the future and are getting ready to go to the ,which I am happy about.”

The combine and MLS Draft will bring New York their next opportunity to settle their roster which currently features all of 21 players. From there, it will be a rat race to bring the number as close to 30 as possible.

“There is always pressure no matter how we are doing,” Petke acknowledged. “Obviously, with the way we ended last year and the amount of moves we made from the coaching staff to a lot of the players as well, there is a lot of pressure not only from the media in the area but with the supporters – as there should be.

“If we continue in the offseason right now for the last part of the offseason doing what we have been doing – setting things up in the right way, making certain moves, being prepared, and then we have a coach come in and we prepare right … we should be ready for those three (opening) games.”