Since its purchase of the Metrostars franchise, Red Bulls ownership has mirrored its energy drink; a huge adrenaline rush leading to the MLS Cup followed by the inevitable crash that has been 2009.

Listen. If you are buying a team in the New York area, you have two understand two simple things; you have to build a winner, and you have to enforce accountability. Sure, building a stadium is a huge feat, but if there isn’t a team worth watching, it will remain as cavernous as your current stomping grounds.

This isn’t Seattle, which has been reduced to a two team town, giving MLS a bright spotlight. Nor is this Columbus, where soccer is the only professional sporting venue in town. No. This is New York, where soccer ranks dead last amongst the sporting crowds, just above bocce ball. That leaves a small sliver of fans who are willing to invest their time and hearts into your team. Worst of all? This tiny base is vocal, intelligent and expects the teams ownership to be every bit as accountable as the team it fields.

So how are the fans supposed to react when failure compounds failure and no one is being held to account? How can there not be a single word coming from the Austrian overlords to comfort a small, and quickly dissipating fan base? The leagues largest market has been reduced to irrelevance, and that can’t be good for anyone involved.

There was a rumor earlier in the year that Red Bull ownership would look to sell the team, but maintain ownership of the Arena. It was laughable then, but in light of recent events, and the reaction (or lack there of) from ownership, it actually seems to be the most plausible answer of all. Stadium aside, ownership has done nothing to be more hands on with this team. Ernst Oebster is a great example of this. The Bulls needed the left footed youngster during their playoff push last season. Oebster was riding the bench for the Austrian sister club, yet was deemed too important to transfer to New York. That should have said it all, but it took this season of misery to drive home the point. The message from Austria has been loud and clear; New York, you are not, nor ever will be, a priority to us.

The neglect of the leagues smartest fans in the leagues largest media market continues. Red Bull, where are you?