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Sandy • On the day he was introduced as Orlando City's newest head coach, Jason Kreis chatted with his longtime friend and former assistant coach. The whirlwind day featuring press conferences, photo shoots, social media chats and meets-and-greets also had a phone call with Jeff Cassar worked in.
The 43-year-old former Real Salt Lake coach, finally, found a new home eight months after being fired by New York City FC following less than two years on the job. And according to Cassar, Kreis couldn't have picked a better landing spot.
"I think it's a great situation," Cassar said. "It's a great club, great fan base, great facilities, obviously a new stadium coming in. Strong ownership … It's a good situation and he's got some really talented players."
But did Cassar anticipate Kreis taking that long to weigh his options and choose the next chapter of his coaching story?
"You always want to take a step back and review all the options that you had," Cassar said. "The one thing I knew that was going to happen? He was going to have some options. He's an intelligent guy. I think he was going to wait for the best situation for him and his family and also get a team that he felt he could work with."
Kreis inherits an Orlando City team mired in struggles this season. The club sits in eighth place in the Eastern Conference at 4-5-10 and 22 points through its first 19 regular-season matches. But he also inherits players such as Kaká and rising star striker Cyle Larin. In his introductory presser Wednesday, Kreis preached that change at his new club would not happen overnight.
"I think it's a fantastic move by Orlando," said RSL right back Tony Beltran. "I think Jason is such a good leader of men and he's such a pragmatic man, I'm sure this is the opportunity he's been waiting for and I'm sure he's going to do very well."
An old friend joins the Western fray
A familiar face is returning to the Western Conference playoff picture. On Wednesday, D.C. United finalized the trade of former RSL forward Fabian Espindola to the Vancouver Whitecaps in exchange for allocation money. Espindola, 31, had 20 goals and 17 assists in his two-and-a-half seasons in D.C.
The Argentine striker left RSL in Dec. 2012 when he and center back Jamison Olave were dealt to the New York Red Bulls. Two-and-a-half years later, Espindola returns to the West to help a young Whitecaps team contend.
"It's just another weapon to their arsenal," Cassar said. "In that style of play, I think it's going to suit him very well."
Herrerra joining MLS Homegrown Game
There will be a fifth RSL academy representative at the MLS Homegrown Game next Wednesday at Avaya Stadium. Christian Herrerra, currently on loan to Liga MX club Pachuca from Real Monarchs, was named to the Mexico U-20 team set to face the MLS homegrown team in San Jose, Calif., next week.
The 19-year-old goalkeeper joins fellow RSL academy products Jordan Allen, Justen Glad, Danilo Acosta and Phanuel Kavita as products of the Casa Grande, Ariz., academy set to participate in the MLS Homegrown Game a day before the 2016 MLS All-Star Game.
Twitter: @chriskamrani