This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Coach Jason Kreis had a simple reaction today when he learned that Toronto FC had fired coach Preki Radosavljevic and general manager Mo Johnston, barely a day before the Reds visit RSL for a CONCACAF Champions League game at Rio Tinto Stadium on Wednesday night."I feel very positive about one thing, that giving a coach less than a season is, frankly, completely unfair," Kreis said. "And I don't understand such decisions. Mo's been there a long time, so if you feel like a big change or a shake-up needs to be made, fair enough. But to give a guy less than a full season to turn a team around is an impossibility."So it's a scary situation," he added, "and every time as a coach you see that, you're going to … scratch your head and ask yourself if you're in the right occupation."Already, the defending MLS Cup champions had been uncertain of how Toronto would approach the game, and now they're even more unsure. Interim coach Nick Dasovic might prefer different tactics or lineups for the Reds, or he might have a different idea about whether to push hard for the Champions League or save his team somewhat for a Major League Soccer playoff push."We are going to have no idea what they're going to do," Kreis said. One thing the players and coaches do expect is a strong response.Both defender Nat Borchers and midfielder Will Johnson agreed with Kreis that the Reds are sure to pull together and give a good effort. That's especially true, Johnson noted, if the players all disliked Radosavljevic as much as they reputedly did. In that case, they definitely will try to prove that it was him — not them — who was most responsible for their recent struggles."The history of the league would show that when you change a coach, there's one thing for certain you're going to get, and that's a lot of emotion, a lot of fight," Kreis said.