SALT LAKE CITY - Like the fruit Tantalus could not resist, Jason Kreis was picked off Real Salt Lake's roster on Friday by fledgling Toronto FC in Major League Soccer's expansion draft.
It was a tough blow for a team that built itself up around the MLS original, the all-time leading goalscorer in league history. During his tenure with Real Salt Lake, Kreis wore the captain's armband in every game he started and became the first MLS player to record 100 career goals, playing both as a true striker as well as in the midfield.
Kreis was the first player acquired by Real Salt Lake. He was picked up before the 2005 expansion draft in a deal with FC Dallas. Kreis also scored the first goal in team history in the second game of the 2005 season. Kreis also sustained an ACL injury near the end of the 2005 season, only to come back and score the team's first goal of the 2006 season.
Surprisingly, Kreis was left unprotected by Real Salt Lake for the expansion draft. Kreis did not seem bitter toward the team at a news conference on Friday.
"They have treated me with unbelievable respect," Kreis said. "I may not like the decision or agree with the decision, but I have respect for it. In the end, I wanted to be here, no question about it."
Kreis was disappointed to find out RSL had left him exposed to the expansion draft.
"I was just extremely glad the way the club handled the whole situation," Kreis said. "[Team owner] Dave [Checketts] called me personally himself to tell me what the decision was and what the thinking was behind it, and I was on board."
Real also left veterans Andy Williams (who could play for Toronto FC as a domestic player) and Scott Garlick exposed to the draft, while protecting younger players like Cameron Knowles and Willis Forko. But in the end, the team's gamble did not pay off.
Peter Richins is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
