With playoff hopes fading, Orlando City playing for pride to close 2017

The Godfather, running out of time

(by Mike Gramajo mlssoccer.com 9-8-17)

With only seven games remaining in the regular season and with their playoff hopes looking ever slimmer, Orlando City SC are vowing to continue to fight for full points – even if that means playing only for pride.

The Lions started the season brightly, running out to a 6-1-0 start to claim an early lead in the Eastern Conference. They’ve been in a tailspin since the start of May, however. They’ve only recorded two wins in their last 20 matches and enter Saturday’s game at D.C. United (7 pm ET; MLS LIVE) on an eight-game winless streak.

The extended slump has dropped Orlando from the top of the table to out of the playoff picture, with the Lions currently in 10th in the East. They’re five points behind Atlanta for the conference’s sixth and final playoff spot, and have played three more games than the Five Stripes.

While their hopes look bleak, OCSC head coach Jason Kreis is demanding that all his players continue to fight throughout the remainder of the season.

“From my point of view, pride better play a part in every single game that we play,” he said after Wednesday’s training session. “These players need to be proud about what they’ve done and how hard they’ve worked this year.

“They need to go into every match expecting that they’re basically on trial because we are. We’re professionals, we get paid well to do what we do, and if we don’t do a good job, they’ll give the job to somebody else. It’s same for the players and coaches, all of us should know that.”

Despite the bad run of games, defender Scott Sutter said that the Orlando locker room is still optimistic. The veteran right back said it’s been tough keeping a positive mindset, especially after losses, but that the team don’t have any other options.

“It’s definitely tough. There’s moments where the positivity does waiver, especially right after a loss, it’s difficult to stay positive when you lose 4-0,” said Sutter. “There’s no real way forward other than stay positive because if you’re negative, it’s definitely not going to get better.”

Sutter acknowledged that the club’s playoff hopes are fading, especially after their 4-0 loss at New England last Saturday. Playing with pride could prevent a similar result at D.C., who would pass Orlando and put the Lions in last in the East with a win on Saturday.

“That’s the main objective. It’s definitely a pride thing, and you don’t want to be at the bottom of your conference, absolutely not, and we’ll do everything to make sure that doesn’t happen and take it from there,” said Sutter.

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https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2017/09/08/playoff-hopes-fading-orlando-city-playing-pride-close-2017

Kreis out as coach of NYCFC after team's 1st season in MLS

(deseretnews.com 11-2-15)

Jason Kreis' tenure as coach of Major League Soccer's New York City FC has ended after the team's first season.

The team, owned by the parent company of Manchester City in the Premier League, said Monday it had "parted company" with Kreis after finishing near the bottom of the standings with 37 points.

Kreis coached Real Salt Lake to the 2009 MLS Cup title and left after losing the 2013 championship game to join NYCFC, which started play this year.

NYCFC said in a statement that it had envisioned a playoff spot in its first season, "Prior to the start of the season, it was agreed with the coaching team that securing of a playoff place was appropriate target for this year, but a win rate of less than one in three games and a points tally which was the second-lowest in the league is clearly not in line with the targets that were agreed."

The Godfather pays a visit to Salt Lake



Jason Kreis' return bittersweet as RSL shuts out NYCFC

 

(by Conner Johnson deseretnews.com 5-23-15)

 

Jason Kreis is the kind of person who doesn’t like to lose.

 

Just ask Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Nick Rimando, who admitted that he, among other players that have worked with Kreis, likes his work ethic as a manager.

“Jason’s very competitive. On the field and as a manager he doesn’t take losing lightly,” said Rimando. “He wants to win every game, and he puts a lot of that on his own back. The players like that. They like a leader like that.”

Saturday was a bittersweet reminder for Kreis that things don’t often come easy, especially after his expansion side fell 2-0 in his grand return to Salt Lake.

Struggling to a 1-7-4 record at the helm of New York City FC, the often self-critical Kreis has been dealing with the pressure of jumpstarting one of the largest market teams in MLS.

“I remember when I left (RSL) I said very clearly to everybody that pressure from me comes from me. Pressure from me doesn’t come from everybody else, because frankly I don’t pay attention to it,” said Kreis. “I’ve always been somebody who's been very self-focused and self-critical. So, that pressure doesn’t change. Certainly, the pressure seems to rise when you don’t get the results. And to go on the run that we have at the beginning of the season, I’ve been putting more and more pressure on myself and doing everything I can to deal with that the best way I know how.”

Noticeably absent from NYCFC Saturday evening was former RSL midfielder Ned Grabavoy. Having missed last week's game due to injury, Grabavoy went through a whole week of training before ultimately suffering a setback Friday.

It was the second match in a row Grabavoy has missed for NYCFC, after playing every minute for the club in the previous 10 games.

Adjusting to the New York way of life has also presented a new challenge for Kreis. From the influx of new people to simply planning transportation around the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple.

“The flip-side of that is that it’s a vibrant place,” admitted Kreis. “It’s full of energy and there’s a certain feeling about living around so many other people and so many different cultures that it’s pretty neat.”

Whether it’s building an empire in the desert of Utah or injecting his passion for the game into NYCFC, Kreis is still the same competitive person as when he left the Beehive State.

“I think that anybody that’s as competitive and successful as Jason has been throughout his playing and coaching career, he’s going to be somebody that’s constantly evolving and trying to better himself,” said former RSL defender Chris Wingert. “With that being said, I still think he’s the same person. He knows what got him to where he’s at, and that’s hard work. And he’s still working extremely hard and he's very detail oriented like he was when he was here.”

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http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865629337/Real-Salt-Lake-Jason-Kreis-return-not-so-pleasant-as-hoped.html

 

Jason Kreis returns to face RSL

(by Conner Johnson deseretnews.com 5-22-15)

Familiar faces return as foes Saturday at Rio Tinto Stadium, when Jason Kreis and expansion side NYCFC take to the pitch in Sandy.

“I think tomorrow night will be the test to see how I feel,” Kreis told reporters prior to his team's training session. “It’s something that I’ve thought about from the moment I announced I was leaving, and made my decision to leave. I thought gosh what’s it going to be like to walk into that building as an opposing coach.”

18 months have passed since Kreis elected to trade the confines of Rio Tinto and Utah for the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple. Thus far, NYCFC is struggling to find its groove, boasting a less than stellar 1-6-4 record on arrival to Utah.

Most folks imagined Kreis at the helm of NYCFC would translate into success from the get-go. Kreis himself lamented he should have seen this coming, having been through the grueling task of building a top-tier franchise with RSL.

“Truthfully, I should have known that. I should’ve been in it from the beginning and said, Look this is going to be tough, so get ready for a lot of trying times,” said Kreis. “But for some reason I fooled myself into thinking that maybe this won’t be tough. Maybe this will be special. Maybe this will be different. Maybe I’ve learned so much that I’m just such a good coach that this will be easy, and that’s certainly not been the case.”

A hopeful Kreis admitted that although it’s been an emotional and trying challenge to relocate and start from the ground up, there’s still plenty of room for success in his NYCFC saga.

“It’s been difficult, but I knew that going in. My wife and I made a very conscious decision to take a challenge, and this is a challenge,” said Kreis. “We’re in the middle of it, so we’re still hopeful and still see that at the end of it all there’s going to be a big success story here.”

Kreis was hardly alone in his departure from Salt Lake to New York. Former RSL coaching staff, trainers and even players followed Kreis to the big-market club. Two pillars in the RSL franchise, Chris Wingert and Ned Grabavoy, joined Kreis in the Big Apple after being scooped up in expansion draft.

“I think that I’ll always look back at my time here as one of the most significant times of my life. Unless something crazy happens, I hope it does, and we play another five years and were still at NYCFC, there’s not going to be another club that we play at that is going to be as significant part of our career as that was,” said Wingert.

“In general, we’ll always look back on this stadium and the people in a really good light. I feel blessed, and I appreciate the fact that I was able to be here for so long with such a great group.”
RSL captain Kyle said he’s looking forward to an entertaining match Saturday, one filled with laughs, respect and hopefully three-points after the final whistle.

“I think it’s just going to be fun. We’ll turn it off, but at the end of the day we respect each other,” said the RSL captain. “There’ll be respect on both sides, on the field and off the field, so we’re just looking for hopefully an entertaining game and one that we come out on top.”

For Kreis, even with the hype and emotions surrounding his return to Salt Lake, this is just like any other match Saturday evening.

“We’ve had some emotional games already. You can imagine playing the first-ever game in franchise history in Orlando in front of 60,000 and then turning around and playing the first ever home game in Yankee Stadium in front of 50,000,” said Kreis. “Those were pretty big emotional affairs, and I had to speak a lot to the guys about keeping their nerves in check. I don’t think it’s something we're going to be too concerned with tomorrow night.”

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http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865629302/Real-Salt-Lake-Jason-Kreis-returns-to-face-RSL.html

New York Godfather

Kreis surfaces in New York, still with the falcon eyes.

Coach Jason Kreis officially leaves RSL to become the new coach of New York City FC

(by Mike Sorensen deseretnews.com 12-10-13)

To almost no one’s surprise, Real Salt Lake coach Jason Kreis is leaving RSL to take over as the new coach of New York City FC, a 2015 Major League Soccer expansion franchise.

"I'd like to thank Jason for a remarkably successful run during his nine years with Real Salt Lake as both a player and as a head coach," RSL owner Dell Loy Hansen said in a statement Tuesday night. "Jason obviously leaves the Utah soccer scene significantly better than he found it, building the competitive foundation of one of Major League Soccer's elite organizations.’’

Hansen said the club would name a new coach as soon as the end of next week.

“We will continue to move forward — quickly — with the 'team is the star' ethos that he and our general manager Garth Lagerwey implemented back in 2007," Hansen said. “We are certain that the job Jason leaves behind — with both the accomplished veteran core and the glut of promising youth — is quite attractive to potential candidates.’’

It has been no secret that Kreis was the top candidate for the New York job and rumors have been circulating since September. Kreis even addressed the possibility after Saturday’s MLS Cup loss to Kansas City, saying he was “going into hiding for three days" and adding, “What happens over the next couple of days is real hard.’’

According to a report on MLSsoccer.com, Kreis informed his players of his decision over dinner at his house Tuesday night.

“I would like to thank everyone associated with Real Salt Lake, including the fantastic fans, for the many special years I spent there,’’ Kreis said in a statement from the New York club. “I wish them the very best for the future.’’

The New York franchise is owned by the same owners of Manchester City FC of the English Premier League and Kreis said he will “immerse myself in football in the football operations in Manchester, observing some of the leading figures of European football.’’

“I am looking forward to making my contribution to New York City FC from the very outset,’’ Kreis also said. “The opportunity to develop the first professional club based in New York City was impossible to pass up. There will be a lot to do before our inaugural season in 2015, but I am confident that with the support teams in the (Manchester) City organization, we will be well-placed to hit the ground running.’’

Kreis, who turns 41 at the end of this month, played college soccer at Duke and then competed in Major League Soccer for 12 seasons. He played nine years with the Dallas Burn before finishing his playing career with Real Salt Lake. He retired early in the 2007 season to take over as RSL's head coach, replacing John Ellinger.

Kreis’ biggest accomplishment was winning the MLS championship in 2009 over the L.A. Galaxy. Besides last week’s second-place finish in MLS Cup, he also led RSL to a CONCACAF Champions League final appearance in 2011 and a U.S. Open Cup final appearance this past fall. His record with RSL over all competitions was 111-87-69. His No. 9 jersey was retired by RSL in 2011.

In his postgame remarks Saturday, Kreis said the future looks bright for RSL.

“I don’t think this team is going to be changed in any large way,’’ Kreis said. “There’s a ton of really young talented players with this group.’’

The 20th Major League Soccer club, New York City FC, announced Tuesday that it had appointed former Real Salt Lake head coach Jason Kreis as its first head coach in club history as it is set to open its inaugural season in 2015. “Jason is one of the true pioneers of Major League Soccer, and a leader any team would be proud to have at the helm,” NYCFC Sporting Director Claudio Reyna said in the NYCFC release. “His skills and experience, together with his commitment to quality football, make him the ideal choice to lead New York City FC in its first season and beyond. He has already left a historic mark on the league, both as a player and coach, and we have every confidence in him continuing to do so at New York City FC.” As NYCFC is not set to kick off in MLS competition until the 2015 season, NYCFC announced in the release that Kreis will officially begin his new venture with the expansion MLS club in January 2014. The New York City based club said Kreis will first travel to England where its English Premier League, Manchester City FC, is located where he will work closely with its head coach, Manuel Pellegrini. NYCFC also stated in the release that during Kreis’ time in England with Manchester City FC he will observe “the club’s approach to coaching, training and player development, with the goal of applying similar approaches to New York City FC.”

Read more at http://www.ksl.com/?nid=854&sid=27981827#2cMQqvQ8kZ1c2fIF.99

The Godfather looks on with falcon eyes

If RSL wants to erect a statue one day of Coach Kreis it should be based on this photo. Epic.

Coach Kreis - the Godfather

The overcoat, the suit, the tie, the perfect haircut, the close shave and tan.

The falcon eyes, the determined scowl.

Keep it rollin'

Last night RSL thumped the Rapids and stay on top of the West, keep it rollin'.

The Coach and The Cup

Kreis honored, number retired after RSL Independence Day match

(by Kira Terry ksl.com 7-5-11)

Following a 3-3 draw with MLS opponent the New England Revolution, Real Salt Lake Head Coach Jason Kreis was honored and his No. 9 RSL number was retired.

"He was the first of so many things for our franchise," said RSL Founder Dave Checketts following the match. "He was the first player we ever signed, he scored the first goal, he was the first in the history of the league to score 100 goals and after he had done all that, we asked Jason to abruptly to hang up his boots and to become our new head coach where he quickly demonstrated the will and drive to allow us as a group, as a family, to accomplish further firsts for RSL - our first playoff birth, our first MLS Cup title, and the first professional championship in Utah for 40 years."

With the fans cheering loudly, Checkets continued saying, "We also were the first MLS team to win a CONCACAF group. And I know we believe we're going to get back there and be the first to win the CONCACAF championship."

An emotional Kreis stepped to the podium and before giving thanks to fans, family and many others who have helped him along his journey with RSL, asked fans to stay standing and give a round of applause for the "unbelievable fight" they put up during that game.

Following his comments, Kreis' RSL number was retired and his name and number are now posted above the west side stands within their Fortress, Rio Tinto Stadium.

In their beginnings, RSL owner Dave Checketts chose Kreis as the first player for RSL on Nov. 17, 2004. Kreis retired from RSL and turned in his captain armband to step up as the second head coach of RSL on May 3, 2007 making him the youngest head coach in MLS history at just 34 years and 127 days old.

Kreis finished his professional soccer career with 108 career goals making him the all-time leading scorer for MLS.

Kreis has led RSL to their first ever MLS Cup title in 2009 and then in 2010 led RSL to become the first-ever MLS team to win a CONCACAF group.

Kreis told the media following the presentation and firework celebration that stepping back out onto that field to accept the honor of his number being retired was a difficult thing, because of the draw and frustrating moments and calls within the game, but was just proud of his roster.

"It was a wild and crazy game, said Kreis." "My take away from the match is that I'm really, really, really proud of our guys. I just couldn't be prouder of the fight that they put in to suffer a penalty kick and a red card decision in the first five minutes of the match, to go down two goals and a man and to fight the way they were and to be dominating the game when they were down in that situation was remarkable to say the least."

Kreis was also happier with this result than what could have happened on their home field. "We did manage a draw, which is better than losing at home. I have so much pride in the guys, a lot of anger about some other stuff, but a lot of pride in the guys."

RSL's goals were scored by midfielder Will Johnson (24th), forward Alvaro Saborio (56th) and forward Fabian Espindola (83rd).

RSL will remain at home this weekend as they host FC Dallas on Saturday.

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I'm happy to say I was the first fan to welcome Jason Kreis to Salt Lake.

Back in those days I had plenty of free time on my hands and I practically lived on BigSoccer.

Anyway, it turns out the day the announcement came out that they RSL's first player would be presented at the offices across from Trolley Square a post was put up on BigSoccer to try and get some fans there. I posted that I could make it after work (or maybe I was just going to skip out of work perhaps) and that I would represent the Loyalists if nobody else could make it.

Turns out there were three of us that made it, myself "The Cup", Jules "Lizzie Bee", and Eric "Deuce". I was one of the first ones there so I grabbed a front row seat. Out came Kreis, the press snapped pictures, some words were spoken, and all was well.

RSL was off to a great start.

So after the news conference was over I made my way over to Jules and Eric and we started talking. Kreis was shaking hands with the suits, etc. Once all of them had welcomed him I said to Jules and Eric something to the affect, "What should we do? Can we just go up and talk to him?"

They answered with a, "I guess so."

I responded with a, "Oh hell, I'm just going to go talk to him."

So I did. I made my way up to him, shook his hand, welcomed him to Salt Lake and told him that we already had a supporters group going.

Jules and Eric followed and we all had a good chat. Jules was the only one with a camera so I asked her to take a picture of us and as you can see in the above photo history was made. "The Cup meets the Coach".

Anyway, those were good times and I'd like to think I have some distinction as the first RSL fan to welcome Kreis to his new home.

The Godfather gets upset

I wouldn't want to be the one that asked the coach the question that warranted the above responding facial expression.

Coach Kreis wants the Supporters Shield

“It’s all fine and dandy to say we may have been the best team for some stretches of last year, but we weren’t the best team last year – LA was. The proof is always in the pudding. They had more points than we did, and so they were the best team last season. [The Supporters’ Shield] is something that we’d like to achieve this year.”

A letter from the Godfather

(by Jason Kreis rsltothecore.com 12-3-09)

To the RSL Nation:

The smile hasn’t left my face in a week, but I have a message for our fans, all of you, whether you have been there since day one over five years ago, or whether you put us on your radar on that fateful Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009.

We have no more time to bask in the glory of our first title – our early February report date for training camp is mere weeks away, and our March 27 opener at San Jose kicks off our title defense. I personally cannot wait to see you all at Rio Tinto Stadium when we host Seattle on April 10!

As I write this, I am assembling my itinerary to travel both domestically and internationally in the coming weeks to bolster the depth, breadth and quality of our roster as we prepare for meaningful international competition, something we will enjoy as a club for the first time ever in 2010. Long-term, we look to build Real Salt Lake into the dynasty that our ownership and fans deserve.

But I wanted to take a quick moment to thank you, the fans, our lifeblood, for your faith and belief in us as we captured MLS Cup 2009. As you have been for five years, you were our heartbeat in Seattle – you were felt, seen and heard all over the city. The sea of RSL claret-and-cobalt evident in the video and pictures from the match (and SLC Int’l Airport, and the Utah State Capitol, and State Street, and Rio Tinto Stadium last week) made it clear to the world that our declarations about the best fans in Major League Soccer calling Utah home were not hyperbole, were not bluster – they are the truth.

As I communicated to our players in the Qwest Field locker room two Sundays ago: Be confident, be bold, be aggressive.

Now I want to let all of you know, my message to the players, the staff, and the entire organization, of which you are an integral part, is that now is not the time to be complacent – efforts by all of us who love RSL and are responsible for both its short-term and long-term prosperity must be redoubled and rededicated.

Be confident as a fan of RSL. Wear your Championship colors with pride, with boldness. Be aggressive in helping us educate our city, our state, our region about not only what we have accomplished in 2009, but our long-term goals for 2010 and beyond.

I implore you to renew your season tickets, if you haven’t already. I ask you to take advantage of our Christmas ticket specials in order to expose your friends and family to the magic of our sport, and help us continue to establish Rio Tinto Stadium as the most dominant home-field advantage in MLS, and hopefully CONCACAF.

As I told our players again at halftime and throughout the game: It is our time.

We want to prove that our first title is the first step of many, as we pursue additional hardware. Throughout our scintillating run through the postseason, we were empowered by belief – in ourselves, shared by few outside the locker room, and even fewer outside Utah.

But you believed, and because of that, we are Champions.

It is our time.