As the New York Red Bulls open their pre-season camp Monday in Harrison, it may feel a bit like deja vu. Another disappointing playoff performance is in the rear view. Another roster overhaul has been executed in an attempt to avoid it happening again. Another blend of superstars, academy products, and trialists all find themselves attempting to not just make the cut but form a team that is still chasing its first trophy in its 17th year.

But as familiar as it all seems, there's one significant new detail for the 2013 preseason camp: there's no head coach.

It's been 73 days since the Red Bulls announced that Hans Backe would not have his contract extended, naming club legend Mike Petke to the job on an interim basis. The management core of the club—Global Football Director Gerard Houllier, RBNY Sporting Director Andy Roxburgh, and RBNY General Manager Jerome de Bontin - was widely expected to have named a new head and assistant coach well before the MLS Combine, or SuperDraft, or start of pre-season. Yet no decision has been made.

Plenty of names have been linked with the job in that time span. European coaches like Gary MacAllister as well as American hopefuls like Tony Meola and Eric Wynalda have all been linked with the job. The strongest rumors have centered around Videoton FC manager Paulo Sousa. The former Portuguese player failed to produce much in managerial stints at QPR, Swansea, or Leicester City, but found his place in Hungary, where he lead Videoton to Europa League qualification. Sousa's contract with Videoton was terminated on January 7th for "family reasons" - and it was widely speculated that he would have been named RBNY's coach by now.

But no announcement has come, and Red Bulls management won't even divulge the names of those they've spoken with. In a conference call today, Roxburgh tried his best to explain the cause for the extreme length of the search:

"I want to address the obvious things. We’re talking to a number of people, a lot with really interesting backgrounds, but we’re still in discussions. We appreciate the fans’ patience, but we don’t want to rush to judgment. There will be an announcement soon. We ask that you be patient just a little bit longer. We want to make sure it’s someone who’s available and who’s appropriate."

As it stands, Mike Petke will continue to lead the team as they head to Florida tomorrow to begin camp in earnest. Fewer trialists will be seen in the camp than previous years - Petke indicated a "less is more" approach is being taken. The team will spend roughly two weeks in Florida, a week back in NY/NJ, and then a further two weeks in Arizona for the FC Tuscon Desert Diamond Cup.

While Roxburgh expressed confidence that the team could run a successful preseason camp with the technical staff they had, the clock is ticking. Just 40 days remain until the Red Bulls start their 2013 season with an away match at Portland.