First, it was Gary McAllister who appeared to be a shoe-in for the Red Bulls head coaching position. He suddenly and quickly fell off the team’s radar.

Has the same happened with Paulo Sousa?

Portuguese outlet O Jogo reports Sousa has rejected the offer to become New York’s head man and will “no longer head to the U.S.” According to the report, Sousa left Videoton with the intention of signing on with the Red Bulls but could not find a proper accord with “the Club’s President and CFO.” Without said guarantees, Jogo confirms he will not take the position.

This follows an interesting series of comments made by Sporting Director Andy Roxburgh who spoke about how difficult the hiring of a head coach is compared to his dealings in Europe.

“We’ve been talking to a number of people, a lot with really interesting backgrounds and we’re still in discussions,” he said during a teleconference. “We appreciate the fans’ patience, but we don’t want to rush to judgement here. There will be an announcement soon about it.”

“Obviously, we’ll be trying to do everything to settle the coaching situation very quickly,” he continued. “We have been trying to do that, of course, with lengthy discussions but right now we’re focused on getting away tomorrow … We’ll continue the discussions and as soon as we’re ready with a name, we’ll let you know.”

The Red Bulls are expected to announce a pair of signings to their technical staff this week. They have also given their medical team a facelift for the coming season after a crippling 2012 on the health front, though no names have been released. Regardless, with this report, the biggest missing piece continues to be at the helm of this franchise.

New York are currently traveling to Bradenton, Florida for the start of their preseason training camp. Interim Head Coach Mike Petke and Sporting Director Andy Roxburgh will run the sessions in the absence of a head coach.