Coaching Career
On May 3, 2007, Kreis retired from professional competition, and was announced as the new head coach of Real Salt Lake, retiring as a player and taking over the coaching reins from John Ellinger; at the time of his hire, Kreis became the youngest active head coach in MLS at 34 years and 127 days. He led Salt Lake to its first-post season playoff appearance in 2008 and in 2009 he coached the team to its first MLS Cup championship. He is the youngest coach in MLS history to win the MLS Cup. He has guided Real Salt Lake to the CONCACAF Champions League knockout round in the 2010-11 season by winning Group A.
Real Salt Lake signed Kreis to a contract extension on March 24, 2011 that will keep him at the RSL helm through the 2013 season. The club also announced that the RSL number 9 jersey from his playing days would be retired by the club on July 4, 2011.
Kreis is known for his single-minded focus to soccer, admitting to being obsessive about game preparation. Real Salt Lake midfielder Kyle Beckerman said about him in a 2011 interview, "I don't think he watches other sports. He just met Jimmer Fredette the other day, and he didn't know who Jimmer was."
Read more about this topic: Jason Kreis
Famous quotes containing the word career:
“The 19-year-old Diana ... decided to make her career that of wife. Today that can be a very, very iffy line of work.... And what sometimes happens to the women who pursue it is the best argument imaginable for teaching girls that they should always be able to take care of themselves.”
—Anna Quindlen (b. 1952)