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It was an opportunity impossible to pass up, he said.

Now, less than two years after Jason Kreis left the comfort of Real Salt Lake to become the first head coach at New York City FC, that opportunity came to a sudden halt. The franchise on Monday afternoon announced it parted ways with the 42-year-old coach after just one season. Leaving NYCFC along with Kreis are former RSL assistants Miles Joseph and CJ Brown.

Grant Wahl of SI.com reported on Oct. 21 that NYCFC officials were leaning toward firing Kreis. Two weeks later, the club owned and operated by City Football Group made its decision to let Kreis go.

In its inaugural season in Major League Soccer, NYCFC went 10-17-7, tied for ninth place in the Eastern Conference and missing the MLS postseason. According to the release from the club, before the 2015 campaign started, the coaching staff and the NYCFC board agreed that a playoff berth was "an appropriate target this year."

"A win rate of less than one in three games and a points tally which was the second lowest in league is clearly not in line with the targets that were agreed," the release states. "While the challenges of building and integrating a new team are recognized, it was felt by the Board, following comprehensive review, that there was not enough evidence of the dynamics required to improve the performance of the team for the next season and beyond."

As part of Manchester City's umbrella, Kreis and his family relocated to Manchester, England, in January 2014 for a six-month stay as the former fiery forward immersed himself in the club's culture. After spending the remainder of that year scouring the globe and MLS for talent, Kreis and his staff started piecing together NYCFC's roster through various avenues. The club added global superstars David Villa and Frank Lampard and eventually signed Italian midfielder Andrea Pirlo this summer as its third Designated Player.

In the 2014 MLS Expansion Draft, Kreis took RSL staples Ned Grabavoy and Chris Wingert. He also acquired former RSL players Mehdi Ballouchy, Josh Saunders, Kwame Watson-Siriboe and Sebastian Velasquez.

As much star power as it had, NYCFC conceded 58 goals in 2015, tied for the most in MLS with Toronto FC and the Chicago Fire. The 17 regular-season losses were tied for most in the league with the Philadelphia Union.

"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," NYCFC president Tom Glick said in a release. "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."

Two years removed from coaching RSL to the MLS Cup final as well as the U.S. Open Cup final in 2013, Kreis' coaching career is in limbo. In seven seasons at RSL, Kreis had a 111-87-69 record across all competitions, including a 90-71-58 mark in the regular season. Kreis retired abruptly in May 2007 and was a surprise hire by former owner Dave Checketts as the club's second-ever head coach. His return to Rio Tinto Stadium this May — where his name and number are hanging above the tunnel — resulted in a 2-0 loss to RSL.

There isn't much doubt Kreis will have his share of suitors. Where his third stop as a head coach be? The offseason officially starts Monday, Dec. 7.

-Chris Kamrani

Twitter: @chriskamrani