Coaching & Technical Staff
Jason Kreis
“Audentis Fortuna Juvat” (Fortune favors the bold)
Kreis, an American soccer icon and Major League Soccer pioneer, embarks on the 2011 MLS season with “unfinished business” driving this year’s CONCACAF Champions League and Major League Soccer ambitions. After becoming the youngest Championship-winning manager in MLS’ 15-year history when his 2009 Real Salt Lake team won six of its final seven regular-season and postseason games, including a dramatic penalty-kick win over a star-studded Los Angeles team in MLS Cup 2009, last year’s squad dropped just five games across eight months in all competitions, yet were sent home unceremoniously in the first round of the 2010 MLS Cup Playoffs by finalist FC Dallas.
While RSL did not repeat – something that has happened just twice in the 15 years of MLS – Kreis’ organization and leadership, drive and determination inspired Real Salt Lake (15-4-11, 56 points, Supporters’ Shield runners-up) to a nearly unprecedented run, amassing 64 points in 30 games combined – the equivalent of an MLS season – from May 1 to Oct. 19 in both MLS and CCL play, a points haul equal to the 3rd-best run EVER by an MLS team (Los Angeles – 70 pts – Sept. 7, 1997 to Aug. 8, 1998; Los Angeles – 66 pts – June 28, 2009 to June 26, 2010).
Kreis led the 2010 RSL side to become the first-ever MLS team (and one of just 3 non-Mexican teams) to win a CONCACAF group, posting a 4-1-1 mark and advancing to the quarterfinal stage in 2011. The former striker’s side was also the 2nd highest-scoring team in CONCACAF, with 17 goals in 6 games (2.83 goals/game). In MLS play, the following milestones established new league standards, as the 2010 RSL squad set all-time MLS marks in the following categories: fewest goals allowed (20), overall goal differential (+25), total home points (37), fewest home losses (0) and fewest home goals allowed (7). In addition to those league records, last year’s edition set franchise-high records in wins (15), goals (45), scoring output (1.50/game), points (56), shutouts (15), road points (19) and road goal differential (+1).
In 2009, RSL finished the regular season with an 11-12-5 mark, earning the final MLS Cup Playoff spot on the last day of the season with a complete and dominating 3-0 win over rival Colorado. Just as in the year before, RSL played its best when the pressure was highest, reeling off four consecutive postseason wins to bring the State of Utah its first major league professional title in nearly 40 years.
Kreis became the second head coach in Real Salt Lake history on May 3, 2007, when RSL Owner Dave Checketts tabbed the team’s Captain, its first-ever player and (at the time) the League’s all-time leading scorer to seize the reins of Utah’s Division I professional soccer team. The Duke University product was the eleventh ex-MLS player (not including interim stints) to take over a League side, and is currently one of eight head coaches in the League to make the switch from an MLS pitch to the sideline.
Intense and passionate, Mr. Kreis went 6-13-7 (25 points) during the partial 2007 season, enduring an expectedly steep learning curve before steadying his squad to a 4-4-3 finish down the stretch, a sign of things to come. In his first full season at the helm in 2008, Kreis led Real Salt Lake to its first-ever playoff berth on the heels of a 10-10-10 (40 points) regular season, a turnaround for which Kreis was rewarded with a contract extension that will keep him on the Rio Tinto Stadium sideline at least through the 2011 MLS season.
The 2008 campaign reflected the results of an extensive team overhaul, which saw the team mold 21 new faces – added since the final half of the 2007 season – into a competitive unit. The landmark 2008 season under Kreis’ direction saw Real Salt Lake open the state-of-the-art Rio Tinto Stadium, dramatically qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs in the final minute of the year and defeat the higher-seeded Chivas USA in the West Semifinals before ultimately bowing to the New York Red Bulls one step shy of MLS Cup, all resulting in the most successful and competitive campaign in Real Salt Lake’s four-season history both on and off the field, prior to the Cup win one year later.
At the time of his hire, Mr. Kreis became the youngest active head coach in MLS at 34 years and 127 days of age. Kreis works closely with former Blue Devil and Dallas Burn teammate and current RSL General Manager Lagerwey regarding player acquisitions, scouting, the MLS Draft and all player personnel-related matters. The Kreis-Lagerwey partnership has resulted in the implementation of a culture where players, staff and fans work as one for the RSL shield, epitomizing a “Team is the Star” attitude. Kreis, Lagerwey and the team’s coaching staff – Jeff Cassar, Robin Fraser and Miles Joseph – compose the lone technical staff among MLS’ 16 teams comprised entirely of ex-MLS players. This distinction means that the RSL braintrust now boasts cumulative MLS experience of 71,242 total minutes, covering 902 games and including 126 goals and 22 shutouts (the equivalent of nearly 30 complete seasons of service). The RSL staff has the unparalleled ability to tap into personal experience as it guides, assists and develops current RSL players.
"Jason fits the profile of every great leader I have worked with throughout my career,” said a prescient Checketts back in May, 2007. “He is a hard-working, dedicated over-achiever who refuses to accept anything less than maximum effort from everyone around him. And while we have made great strides thus far under his leadership, I know we are bound for unprecedented heights, and I know that Jason is the right person to help guide our team's ascent."
Kreis abruptly retired with 108 career goals to his credit, becoming just the eighth person in the history of the five major U.S. sports leagues to serve as a head coach while holding his league’s career scoring record (and only the third athlete in the post-World War II era). The first MLS player to break the century mark in goals scored, Mr. Kreis’ 108 total goals scored still ranks fourth behind Jaime Moreno (131), Jeff Cunningham (121) and Ante Razov (114) heading into the 2010 season.
The native of Omaha, Neb., was the first American-born player in MLS history to earn MVP honors (Kreis remains one of just three U.S.-born MVPs in 14 MLS seasons), capturing the 1999 award after leading the Dallas Burn in goals (18) and assists (15), a stellar campaign which marked the first “15-15” season in League annals. Coming through in the clutch is a Kreis trademark, with an astounding 31 of his 108 career goals game-winners. The Duke graduate ranks among the top 10 MLS career leaders in games (305 – 10th), starts (282), minutes (25,242 – 7th), shots (818 – 2nd) and shots on goal (370).
Kreis became the first player in Real Salt Lake history on November 17, 2004, when the 12-year MLS veteran was acquired from FC Dallas in exchange for future considerations. He has the unique distinction of scoring the first-ever goals in two MLS team histories, finding the back of the net for both RSL and Dallas. Interestingly, career strikes #1 and #100 share a common opponent – the Kansas City Wizards, also the victim of Kreis’ lone career MLS hat trick. Until the heroics of former Kreis protégé Robbie Findley in the 2008 home opener, Kreis was the lone RSL player ever to notch three goals in one game, albeit in a 4-6 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup loss at Minnesota in 2005.
Kreis, an avid woodworker, oenophile and golfer with a voracious appetite for reading, resides in Park City, Utah, with his wife, Kimberly, and two sons.
Jeff Cassar
Former Major League Soccer goalkeeper Jeff Cassar was added to the Real Salt Lake technical staff on May 24, 2007, exactly three weeks after his former teammate Jason Kreis assumed the head coaching duties for Real Salt Lake.
Mr. Cassar, 36, has been involved in Major League Soccer since the league’s inception in 1996, spending 11 seasons between the posts for three squads from 1996-2006 before retiring to become FC Dallas’s goalkeeper coach in January 2007. During his career with Dallas (1996-97, 2003-06), Miami Fusion FC (1998-2001), and the MetroStars (2002), Cassar made 79 appearances (76 starts), posting a 1.76 goals against average, a 28-36-10 record, and recording 13 shutouts. Prior to his entry into the college and professional ranks, the Michigan native appeared numerous times for the U.S. U-18, U-20, and Olympic National Team programs.
Mr. Cassar also appeared in five MLS Cup Playoff contests while with the Fusion and helped a pair of squads – the 2000 Fusion and 2005 FC Dallas teams – reach the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final. In addition to his MLS experience, Mr. Cassar also spent time with English sides Ipswich Town and Bolton Wanderers following the 2002 season before returning to Dallas in the summer of 2003.
In addition to sharing Florida International University alumnus status with another RSL assistant coach, Robin Fraser, Mr. Cassar is also intimately linked to several Real Salt Lake personalities, both past and present. On top of his Kreis connections, Mr. Cassar competed for playing time in Miami with current RSL General Manager Garth Lagerwey as well as current RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando. During his second stint with Dallas, Mr. Cassar would become teammates with former RSL netminders D.J. Countess and later, Scott Garlick.
Mr. Cassar resides with his wife, Jennifer, in Draper, UT, and has three children – daughters Sloan and Dylan and son Luke.
Miles Joseph
The newest member of the Real Salt Lake technical staff, Miles Joseph kicks off his first coaching stint in MLS as RSL looks to successfully defend its MLS Cup title during the 2010 season.
Yet another former player is added to the RSL staff, as Mr. Joseph, a native of Clifton, N.Y., played in six MLS seasons from 1996-2001 for the (NY/NJ) MetroStars, Columbus Crew and Dallas Burn. Joseph scored 12 career goals in 125 total games for the teams, and was a teammate of current RSL Head Coach Jason Kreis during the 2001 campaign in Dallas.
With the hiring of Mr. Joseph, Real Salt Lake maintains the distinction among Major League Soccer's 16 teams of having the only group of coaches and a general manager composed entirely of former MLS players. The RSL braintrust now boasts cumulative MLS experience of 71,242 total minutes, covering 902 games and including 126 goals and 22 shutouts (the equivalent of nearly 30 complete seasons of service). The RSL staff has the unparalleled ability to tap into personal experience as it guides, assists and develops current RSL players.
Joseph earned All-America honors at Clemson University – where he was named to the Atlantic Coast Conference 50th Anniversary Team – before being drafted with the 12th overall pick in the 1996 MLS College Draft by the MetroStars. A standout on the United States U-18 and U-20 Men's National Teams, Joseph was selected for the roster of the U.S. team at the 1993 U-20 World Cup held in Australia, scoring a goal in the 6-0 victory over Turkey. The U.S. went 1-1-1 in group play, qualifying for the second round where it fell to Brazil.
In 1996, U.S. coach Bruce Arena named Joseph to that year's U.S. Men's Olympic Team, participating in the Atlanta Summer Games. Once again, the team went 1-1-1, but this time failed to make the second round. Joseph earned his first cap with the full U.S. National Team when he came on for Cobi Jones in the 89th minute of a 3-1 win over El Salvador on August 30, 1996. In addition to having been coached by National Soccer Hall of Fame manager Arena, Joseph has also gained knowledge and experience while playing for international luminaries Fabio Capello (the current England National Team coach oversaw Joseph's trial with AC Milan in 1997), Carlos Quieroz (current Portugal National Team Coach), Carlos Alberto Parreira (former Brazil National Team Coach) and Bora Milutinovic (Bora coached five different National Teams), each of whom managed the MetroStars during Joseph's MLS career.
Since 2003, Joseph, 35, has been the Technical Director and Director of Coaching for the Players Soccer Academy. Joseph also concurrently served as Executive Director of NY Elite FC, located in his hometown of Clifton Park, N.Y., a club that is presently composed of 25 elite boys and girls teams. Prior to those positions, Joseph served as an Assistant Coach on the Siena College women's program. During his Shenendehowa High School career, Joseph won three N.Y. state championships, and was named the Gatorade H.S. Player of the Year while earning All-America honors.
C.J. Brown
Another former Major League Soccer standout, defender C.J. Brown, was added to the Real Salt Lake technical staff on January 18, 2011, filling the vacancy left when Robin Fraser assumed the head coaching duties at Chivas USA.
Brown’s addition to the Real Salt Lake staff allows the 2009 MLS Cup championship side to keep its distinction as the lone Technical Staff across the now 18-team League comprised solely of MLS alumni, joining RSL GM Garth Lagerwey, Head Coach Jason Kreis, and fellow assistant coaches Jeff Cassar and Miles Joseph.
The five-man RSL braintrust now boasts cumulative MLS playing experience (regular season and playoffs) of 74,811 total minutes – spanning 923 games across 47 seasons – and eight domestic championships (one MLS Cup and seven Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cups), giving the staff the unparalleled ability to tap into personal experience as it guides, assists and develops the current RSL roster.
Brown, 35, retired from the playing field last October after 13 seasons as one of the most respected and consistent center backs in MLS history, compiling nearly 300 regular season appearances as a member of the Chicago Fire from 1998-2010.
Known as one of the League’s most dependable and cerebral defenders, his 296 games played (T-13th); 290 starts (T-7th); and 25,738 minutes played (8th) all rank towards the top of the MLS record books – and are indeed atop the Fire’s career charts.
The last remaining “Fire Original” from the team’s 1998 inaugural campaign also played an integral part in all five of the Chicago’s domestic championships, as Brown helped lead the “Men in Red” to the 1998 MLS Cup and four Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup titles (1998, 2000 2003, and 2006), in addition to a spot in the 2003 MLS Cup final. The 2001 MLS All-Star would also finish his career among the League’s top 10 with 35 MLS Cup Playoff starts (T-5th) in as many appearances (T-7th).
Upon finishing his collegiate career at San Jose State, the Bay Area native stayed close to home to begin his road to a professional career with the USISL’s San Francisco Bay Seals, playing the first two of his three years with the side as an amateur. A run to the U.S. Open Cup Semifinals in 1997 by the Bay Seals would serve as Brown’s coming out party to MLS, and the then-expansion Fire would take the talented center back with the first selection in the 1998 Supplemental Draft. In addition to his standout MLS career, Brown would catch the attention of the U.S. National Team program, making 15 “caps” for the Red, White & Blue’s senior squad between 1998 and 2003.
Brown is no stranger to the coaching ranks, with stints as the Assistant Director of Coaching for the Chicago Fire Juniors and the Director of Coaching for the Elmhurst (Ill.) Elite youth clubs counting among the several youth coaching positions he held since beginning his professional career in 1998. Brown has already acquired his National “B” License for coaching from the United States Soccer Federation and is planning on beginning to work towards the USSF “A” License in the next 12-18 months.
The Hayward, Calif., native will bring his family in tow to the Wasatch Front, consisting of his wife, Kim – whom he married one day after winning the U.S. Open Cup title in October 2000 – and two daughters, Canessa (7) and Kali (6).
Dan Barlow
Dan Barlow returns for his fourth season in 2010 as the team’s Strength and Conditioning Coach, joining the club prior to the 2007 campaign and transforming RSL into one of the fittest clubs in MLS. His decade of expertise includes the development of training and conditioning programs for professional athletes and teams in addition to designing college, corporate, and in-home fitness facilities. Prior to his consultation services, Mr. Barlow spent three years as a Strength and Conditioning Coach at the Univ. of Maryland, where he worked with a wide variety of athletes, and three years as the Terrapins’ Graduate Assistant for Fitness.
Mr. Barlow earned his Masters degree in Exercise Physiology at the Univ. of Maryland, one of the Nation’s Top 10 Kinesiology programs, He also holds a Bachelors degree in Psychology from Bethany College. Barlow is married to his wife, Laura, and lives in Cottonwood Heights, Utah.
Tyson Pace
Tyson Pace returns the Real Salt Lake staff on a full-time basis for a second consecutive season as the squad’s Assistant Athletic Trainer after working with the squad on a part-time basis throughout 2008. The bilingual Pace is thoroughly involved in performing the training staff’s daily fitness, weight-training and rest and recovery routines in an effort to keep each player in optimal shape to perform at their very best throughout the grueling MLS season.
Mr. Pace received his Bachelor’s degree in Athletic Training from the University of Utah, and continued his studies at the U of U to receive a Master’s degree in Sports Psychology. Prior to his stint with Real Salt Lake, Pace spent five years as a Certified Athletic Trainer at the NCAA Division I level with the Utes football and baseball programs. Pace and his wife Amy reside in Clearfield, UT, with their two daughters, Taya and Shaylee.
Elliot Fall
Elliot Fall assumes new duties in 2010 for Real Salt Lake, becoming the squad’s Team Administrator after working in the RSL Communications department in 2008 and 2009. Fall is responsible for coordinating the team’s travel and administrative issues, often serving as a liaison between the organization’s front office and technical staffs.
A native of Salt Lake City, the garrulous Fall attended both Judge Memorial High School and the University of Utah. Bringing a veritable cornucopia of talents to his job every day, Fall’s enthusiastic attitude and willingness to do whatever it takes for the team make him an invaluable asset to both Real Salt Lake and Rio Tinto Stadium.
Fall is single – shocker! – and lives in Salt Lake City, Utah.