Top Stories

Report: New York City FC hoping to land Kreis as inaugural head coach

MLSBS030913101

Photo by ISIphotos.com

Real Salt Lake’s first-ever player could become New York City FC’s first-ever head coach.

According to a late Thursday report from Sports Illustrated, New York City FC are hoping to sign Kreis as their inaugural head coach for the 2015 season. The expansion MLS club has reportedly done more than just set their sights on the 40-year-old Real Sale Lake manager who is in the final year of his current deal, flying him out to the United Kingdom earlier this month to have him meet with NYCFC officials.

The report goes on to state that RSL gave NYCFC permission to speak to Kreis, one of the more highly-touted head coaches in MLS, in part because the Western Conference heavyweight believes it will be able to re-sign its long-time head coach to a new deal.

A former U.S. Men’s National Team player, Kreis has been with Real Salt Lake since 2005. He was the RSL’s first player before becoming head coach in 2007 and leading the club to its first MLS Cup title back in 2009.

Since being appointed manager, Kreis has gone on to make Real Salt Lake a proverbial powerhouse in MLS despite having less of a budget to work with than teams like the LA Galaxy, Seattle Sounders and New York Red Bulls. The club has also enjoyed success outside of league play under Kreis, reaching the 2011 CONCACAF Champions League final that was won by Monterrey.

Kreis is currently in the midst of another impressive season that has him in the running for MLS’s Coach of the Year award. Real Salt Lake were expected to have a rebuilding year after parting ways with several of their key veterans in the offseason, but are currently in contention to win the Supporters’ Shield.

—-

What do you think of New York City FC’s interest in Kreis? Do you expect him to stay with RSL or take the new challenge with NYCFC? How would RSL fare without Kreis?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

    • I know one area in which RBNY outsmarted another team: they got rid of Nick Sakiewicz and the Philadelphia Union picked him up. Now the Union are stuck with him.

      Reply
    • Nicol or mariner? Oh you’re being sarcastic. Very clever.

      But in case your not its clear kreiss has a good eye for quality and more important than drafting Jason k knows how to get the most out of his players and win. He also fits with Claudio reynas desire to win in style.

      Reply
  1. Kreiss can win with big name dp player at a big spender like nycfc as long as they’re players committed to a winning team. He’d be fine with players like Keane Donovan Dempsey martins etc. no balotelli or tevez type of egos.

    NYCFC would be wise to go after Jason kreiss because he knows MLS very well and also knows how to get results in ccl and open cup. He’s close to Garth lagerway so it will be interesting to see what happens with both of them. RSLs Hansen is going to have to dig deep to keep his coach and GM.

    Reply
  2. If Kreis goes to NYCFC, the Crew are definitely going to be hiring on Bliss full-time. Unless GBS come back, then Bliss goes to Salt Lake.

    hmmm….. or how about Coach Frankie?

    Reply
      • Really? I see it happening shortly actually. Maybe in the next five years. I don’t think we have to wait for superpower status.

    • Bradley or Arena, someone with a real track record. Arena had 5 NCAA titles at UVa, 2 MLS titles at DC, 2 MLS titles at LA, won CONCACAF club, won 2 Gold Cups, qualified for two World Cups, and once made it out of a World Cup group. As with Bradley at Egypt, I have little doubt he could take most any team and maximize it.

      Porter is overrated. All that talent at Akron and one title. All that attacking talent at US U23, couldn’t sort out a defense or close out ES, couldn’t qualify for the Olympics on home soil. Portland has quietly spiraled down to the last West playoff spot.

      Kreis is interesting but unless he leaves Utah we won’t know whether he’s the sort of coach that can go from job to job getting results.

      Reply
      • What kreis has done this year after losing many star players due to cap restraints is remarkable he’s a fantastic coach period

    • I don’t think MLS is well regarded enough for this to be true.

      The most likely American to get a top level coaching job will be someone who is already a known quantity at a European club, like Steve Cherundolo.

      Reply
    • FWIW, Gregg Berhalter coaches Hammarby (Sweden) and Earnie Stewart is AZ’s (Holland) Director of Football. I wanna say Mike Mason used to coach in the lower German rungs. The first generation of serious American coaches abroad could also come from our dual national ranks, in part because their language and culture background opens up opportunities in countries an American coach who speaks English and has limited cultural experience, might not work well in.

      It could also be the players like Dolo who lived abroad a while, might also speak the language and get the culture, or at least had a lengthy association with those particular teams.

      Reply
  3. Kreis would a great get for NYCFC. And he and Petke have been keen rivals forever.

    Did you mean to say RSL believes it CAN’T re-sign him?

    Reply
    • “RSL has every intention of keeping its charismatic manager. Owner Dell Loy Hansen, a real estate and property management executive, is a billionaire and a Utah native who won’t give up one of the country’s most successful young coaches without a fight. RSL allowed Kreis to talk with NYCFC, in part, because it believes it can re-sign him.”

      Rumspringa. “Go play around, you’ll be back.”

      Reply
      • +1 Exactly. I’m a huge RSL fan so I might be biased, but I just don’t see Kreis leaving RSL anytime soon; and certainly not for NYCFC. Too much history and relationship with Garth up front and too much invested in the fresh faces just brought on this season. Jason stays.

  4. Longtime RSL fan here, I can’t imagine RSL without Kreis. I hope he choose to stay so he can continue to have control of a team. I feel like if he went to New York and he had 1 bad season, they would be calling for his head. As opposed to here in SLC he has the complete trust of the team and the organization that an off year is acceptable considering his track record.
    He also won’t be able to have as much control of the players brought in to the team. Kreis is known as a no nonsense coach who doesn’t like big egos and likes to have a locker room that ha cohesion. Will he be able to control that as well in NYFC? I don’t think he will have as much control which will lead to less success. But who knows, this could be a biased RSL fan’s opinion.

    Reply
    • Exactly right. That being said, RSL can’t compete with the amount of money NYCFC would throw at him.
      If RSL does lose him, it will be the end of their dynasty, and the biggest mistake the team has ever been a part of.

      Reply
      • Biggest mistake thus far would be RSL first attempt at a coach in John ellinger. As far as replacing kreiss if he bolts I’d say ci brown would be the next in line to take over for RSL.

      • +100 likes! Ellinger was a complete disaster from start to finish. It would be hard to make a bigger mistake than that. I can think of a few more huge mistakes that RSL FO has made, drafting Nick Besagno #1? DJ Countess? Scott Garlic (couldn’t have been less interested in playing, even when he was on the field)? Freddy Adu? Releasing Nick Rimando and then buying him back? It hasn’t all been a bed of roses around here, in fact for many years it was a pile of the stuff that eventually makes for a really nice bed of roses.

      • Kreis isn’t about the money, or about being able to splash cash on huge name players…that’s the opposite of his philosophy. At RSL, he’s got not only a team built precisely to his style, but also a coaching staff and front office chock full of longtime colleagues, former teammates, etc. Besides that, he and his family have an amazing quality of life in Park City and the greater SLC area. I don’t see this move really being something he feels he has to do, or something that will mesh well with his approach to the game and the league. He’s got so many positives at RSL, and I don’t think a huge stack of cash is going to outweigh all those other considerations for a guy like Kreis – especially when RSL win the Open Cup (at least) and qualify for next year’s CCL.

      • Lets hope so, because I am not about to watch him jump aboard another team. De Loy better step up his game and realize what he has.

Leave a Comment