We may as well get this conversation started, because the narrative is sure to chew on like a smoked turkey leg over the next two weeks, the days leading up to MLS Cup 2013.
Jason Kreis may have already coached his last match at Rio Tinto Stadium. The secret leaked out weeks ago that New York City FC’s list of potential managers started with Kreis, who is 40, but already has six MLS seasons on his managerial resume. The big interest from NYC FC hardly arrived as a surprise; we can make arguments for and against the man’s move into a far higher profile position.
In fact, we already have made the case for and against … weeks ago.
So let’s add some “new car smell” to this one. Here’s the updated point to debate: If Real Salt Lake wins MLS Cup, does that that make Kreis more or less likely to remain in charge at Rio Tinto Stadium?
Logic would clearly dictate that Kreis would be more likely to move forward, to a new East Coast address. After all, speaking only in terms of MLS matters, what more would the man have left to accomplish in Utah at that point? That would be his second MLS title in five years, something only Bruce Arena and Dominic Kinnear have done so far. While that’s hardly the stuff of “dynasty,” it’s a checklist of achievement that any manager could be damn proud of.
(MORE: What we learned in RSL’s win over Portland on Sunday)
Yes, Kreis still has some CONCACAF and U.S. Open Cup demons to conquer; they have certainly caused the coach and his Utah club some pain. But if the man’s goal is to establish a wider reach of accomplishment (beyond MLS Cups, that is), he probably stands a better chance in New York, at a club sure to be tip-top in resource and opportunity.
There is, of course, one other way to look at this:
RSL will be a slight underdog on Dec. 7, the road team to a tough, talented and now playoff-tested Kansas City bunch. If Kreis and Co. fall short, does that make him less likely to grab for the bright, shiny object in New York?
As I laid out in the post linked above, the unknown unknowns in New York may be a little scary. As for RSL, that stable of young bucks makes the job at Rio Tinto potentially profitable (achievement-wise and, apparently now, finance-wise, too) for years to come.
