Some clarity over the firing of former Red Bulls Technical Director Ricardo Campos is beginning to come into focus.

While speculation has run rampant over the decision, the logic is simple: Campos’ role in New York became redundant with the hiring of Ali Curtis.

“Ricardo was excellent in his role with the Red Bulls as their ‘capologist,'” a league source tells EOS. “But Ali Curtis wrote the damn rulebook.”

EOS has learned the New York Red Bulls will not be hiring another Technical Director to take the place of Campos. Instead, the position will be absorbed by Curtis, putting the entirety of the player acquisition structure under his purview.

Campos received the axe earlier this week after serving under three Sporting Departments in his tenure with New York. Therein, he became a central player in the team’s acquisition model, orchestrating most of the moves that have shaped the Red Bulls over the course of the past five years.

Promoted under the reign of then General Manager Erik Soler, Campos was to be groomed as the ‘heir apparent’ to the Sporting Director position. “Continuity is important both on and off the field,” Soler remarked, crediting the young Campos in his role facilitating the acquisition of Dwayne De Rosario in early 2011.

Once Soler was canned, however, Andy Roxburgh took charge of the club, forcing Campos into a lateral move under the new Sporting boss.

The Technical Director’s role was an important one for New York during both eras. Soler and Roxburgh entered their respective positions with little to no knowledge of the league and its byzantine player acquisition structure. Campos bridged that gap, becoming the man behind the curtain under both administrations.

Red Bull passed over Campos again for the Sporting Director’s role this winter, mainly because they felt he was “too junior” for the position. Since then, Curtis and head coach Jesse Marsch have seized control of the Sporting Department, shaping the club jointly — and without input from Campos.

To put it simply, the team had no need for a Technical Director to interpret the rules when they hired Curtis as their sporting head. As has been well documented, the former MLS staffer played an integral role in creating most of the player acquisition structures that MLS employs today. That fact left Campos out in the cold this offseason, and after sticking it out with the club through preseason, he was summarily fired, completing the transformation of the Sporting Department.

The possibility exists that New York may consider beefing up their Sporting operations some time down the road. For now, those resources will be redirected as Curtis assumes a more robust role.