On Sunday, former Dallas soccer icon Jason Kreis returns to the Lone Star State to face his old side. That's nothing new since he has done so for Real Salt Lake on nine different occasions since leaving Big D after the 2004 season. But this will be Kreis' first trip back to his old stomping grounds as an MLS head coach, as he took the reins of RSL on May 3. For several of his former teammates who remain with FC Dallas, it will be an interesting day.
"It's funny to think about," said FCD right back Bobby Rhine, who has been with FCD since coming into the league in 1999. A converted forward, he and Kreis were actually strike partners for several years.
"I have watched their last few games since he took over. He's going to want to put his mark on that team right away," Rhine said. "I think you can see that through his demeanor on the sideline and the changes he has implemented in terms of their shape and some tactical things.
"I knew the moment he took that team over that they would show more fire. From a competition standpoint, they would be much tougher to play against because of the changes he made. It's an interesting thing to face a former teammate and a good friend."
Left back Chris Gbandi, the top overall pick in the 2002 MLS Super Draft by FCD, was teammates with Kreis in 2003 and 2004 and is currently the second-most senior player on the Hoops roster behind Rhine, who was a college teammate of his at Connecticut.
"It's kind of weird now," Gbandi said. "Every time Bobby (Rhine) and I look at each other, we see somebody else who we played with or against that is a head coach. It shows how old we're getting.
"It's going to be a little weird seeing Jason (Kreis) on the bench yelling and screaming at people," Gbandi added. "He's done a good job so far. I think the guys respect him and they're playing good attacking soccer."
Rhine and Gbandi both said that they knew that it was inevitable that their former teammate would become an MLS head coach -- but neither thought it would happen this quickly.
"I didn't think it would happen so soon," Rhine said. "I knew he had aspirations to be head coach one day and also knew that he wanted to be head coach there (at Salt Lake). I think given how they started, it looked like it was time for a change.
"Retiring and stepping right into the coaching ranks makes it easier for a player because you don't have much time to think about not playing any more. It's a new challenge and he's excited about that."
Said Gbandi: "I was surprised. I don't think a lot of other people were because they were expecting it. I didn't expect it. It was something that just kind of happened."
While Gbandi and Rhine are the only FCD players who were teammates of Kreis, several members of the Hoops coaching staff also played alongside the all-time leading scorer in MLS history. They include head coach Steve Morrow, assistant coach Oscar Pareja and goalkeeping coach Jeff Cassar.
"I think he'll do a good job," said Morrow, who is in his first year as FCD's head coach. "He's got all the attributes to be a great coach. He has his own ideas of how he wants to do things. I think after one game, you can see the differences in the way the team played. I think he'll get across his message and get things done how he wants them done."
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
