So, Soccer Wire has a story on why the NWSL's Sky Blue FC passed on partnering with the Red Bulls.

Basically, it came down to support from Austria. Then-General Manager Jerome de Bontin wanted to move forward, but the Austrian mothership was less enthusiastic, so Sky Blue passed.

Reports on the original plan suggest Sky Blue would move from its current home at Rutgers to Red Bull Arena this season, at least for some games, and that Sky Blue and the Red Bulls could play doubleheaders. But that never came to pass. And if the Soccer Wire story is any indication, rebranding would be optional, meaning Sky Blue wouldn't go the way of the MetroStars.

And Austria's loss could be NYCFC's gain, since, Soccer Wire reports, Sky Blue and NYCFC have been in contact.

While it's nice to have a "why" on the breakdown of nearly year-long talks between Sky Blue and the Red Bulls, there's a more Red Bulls-centric take here, too.

We've written about how, under de Bontin, the strategy seemed to be an attempt to make the team a more inclusive institution and when that didn't seem to line up with Austria's goals, he (understandably, I think) took off.

A partnership with Sky Blue is probably the most concrete attempt at that goal and if Austria was lukewarm on the idea, you can imagine how the rest of his ideas were treated.

I'm sure you can all figure out why that's slightly depressing.