NYCFC parts ways with coach Jason Kreis

By Kyle McCarthy
Published

New York City Football Club parted ways with head coach Jason Kreis on Monday.

Kreis leaves NYCFC after missing out on the playoffs during the club's expansion season.

NYCFC president Tom Glick cited the club's failure to make the playoffs as the primary reason for the change.

"The decision to part company with Jason and his team after two years of working together has not been taken lightly and this is a difficult announcement for all involved," Glick said in a club statement. "We thank Jason for his passion, his efforts and for his contribution to the historic inaugural season of New York City FC.  Many memories of this first season will be indelibly etched in the minds of all involved with the Club and Jason and his team have played a huge part in that. We wish him all the very best in what will undoubtedly be a continued successful career in soccer management."

Kreis left Real Salt Lake at the end of the 2013 season and signed a long-term contract with NYCFC shortly thereafter. NYCFC opted to give Kreis a full year to settle with the nascent club before the debut this season.

Those efforts did not yield success on the field. Kreis -- a former MLS Cup winner with RSL -- and NYCFC struggled to produce results for most of the season. Personnel issues -- including the belated arrival of Frank Lampard and the integration of Andrea Pirlo into the team after his mid-summer signing -- played a considerable role in the club's inability to perform consistently.

Those realities reflected NYCFC's status as an expansion side, but they failed to protect Kreis after NYCFC missed the playoffs by 12 points (10-17-7, 37 pts.) and tied for eighth in the Eastern Conference at the end of the season.

NYCFC noted the difficult situation in its statement, but the club said the board felt "there was not enough evidence of the dynamics required to improve the performance of the team for the next season and beyond" during its end-of-year review.

NYCFC assistants C.J. Brown and Miles Joseph also parted ways with the club, according to the release.

Kreis is expected to generate significant interest from other MLS clubs. Chicago Fire is the only other open job at the moment, but other clubs might consider Kreis' merits if they decide to make a change.

NYCFC is likely to appoint a foreign manager ahead of its second season. British newspapers have linked Manchester City elite development squad head Patrick Vieira with the post, while other managers are likely to enter the frame with the post officially open.