Real Salt Lake: Jason Kreis makes his return to Rio Tinto — this time as RSL’s foe

Jason Kreis won't allow himself to reflect on the past, unless rewinding the tape in his head proves beneficial to the future. So as he goes back, retracing the memories during his nine years at Real Salt Lake — both as the club's first player and eventual star head coach — it's not the wins he returns to. It's not the MLS Cup title in 2009 or the momentous CONCACAF Champions League charge in 2011.

Instead, it's to 2007, when at 34 he became the youngest head coach in league history after owner Dave Checketts asked Kreis if he could enact change at RSL. He reminds himself of that moment, now eight years later, because he's back here, in Utah and coaching his team.

The other team.

Kreis's long-awaited return to Rio Tinto Stadium comes Saturday, 18 months after leaving RSL behind to take charge of expansion club New York City FC. Armed with a host of former RSL players, assistant coaches and training staff members, the 42-year-old is facing his old team as his new one — predictably — struggles.

"The easiest way for me to say this is, [RSL is] not something I'm focused on now, other than to remind myself how difficult it was and how much time it took and kind of how we built that up, step-by-step," Kreis told The Salt Lake Tribune on Wednesday. "I'm in the exact same position now, so it's causing me to think a lot about that process. … I don't think that there is a whole lot of pride in it yet, because I'm still very busy trying to take the next step [at NYCFC]."

Sitting at 1-6-4, Kreis acknowledges NYCFC, like RSL in 2007, is figuring things out as it goes along in the Bronx.

NYCFC is a different franchise from any that Major League Soccer has admitted during its 20-year history. English Premier League giant Manchester City is the parent club, and Kreis spent months in Manchester last season during his year off — while simultaneously scouring MLS and the globe for talent to construct his roster.

Forming a team from scratch "is more stressful than people realize," said former RSL general manager Garth Lagerwey, now with the Seattle Sounders. "You don't have games, you don't have the week-to-week … building a team takes time, it takes hours and hours and hours of scouting, and in 2007, when we started, we turned over 21 of 28 guys on the roster in the first two windows in winter of 2007, summer of 2008."

Kreis accepted the challenge one week after RSL lost the 2013 MLS Cup final in Kansas City. NYCFC has lured World Cup and UEFA Champions League winners such as Spanish striker David Villa and English international Frank Lampard (expected to join the club this summer) as designated players. In the 2014 expansion draft, Kreis snagged two RSL pillars — midfielder Ned Grabavoy and defender Chris Wingert.

Grabavoy played under Kreis from 2009 to 2013. He says Kreis' coaching principles remain the same, but the scenario of playing in New York City is different, compounded by the New York-size hype around the club.

"There were still many things he was doing behind the scenes," Grabavoy said. "But he wasn't competing on the field, so I think there was such a sense of urgency from him right from the get-go to have that competitiveness back in his life."

Kreis' competitive streak, according to him and those close to him, is almost an addiction. Which has made NYCFC's stumble to start 2015 all the more difficult to stomach. During his days at RSL, Kreis was famously ardent and temperamental at times. He explains the persistence to win comes from his parents, both of whom where born and raised on farms in Iowa, and showed him at a young age what it meant to labor, produce and strive for more.

"I really can't do anything with anybody without needing to win. Somewhat compulsively so, actually," he said. "It's tough when you play your [own] kids in some games, and you won't even allow them to ever win."

RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando said Kreis is a coach who won't rest until he gets it right.

"On the field and as a manager, he doesn't take losing lightly. He wants to win every game, and he puts a lot of it on his own back," Rimando said. "The players like that. They like a leader like that."

From 2008 to 2013, Kreis' style on and off the pitch started a trend that his successor, Jeff Cassar, continued in 2014: RSL playing in the postseason.

The club reached four respective Cup finals and was 111-87-69 across all competitions during Kreis's time in Utah. Lagerwey said he believes the impact his old college teammate at Duke had at RSL is unmatched, pointing to his No. 9 being retired by the club in the summer of 2011.

"Jason's name is on the building," Lagerwey said. "I think that one's still special. That one's different. And rightfully so."

Despite being in the spotlight now more than ever, Kreis, born and raised in Omaha, Neb., said Utah is his favorite place he's ever lived, saying "for some reason, that place is a little more dear to me."

He has since been back to Salt Lake City a couple of times for various reasons. But Rio Tinto was never on the itinerary. Until now.

"What's harder for a guy like me is to actually enjoy that moment and to be happy and to be able to smile," he said, "because I'm going to be in competitive mode."

So of all things, smiling is still the most difficult thing to do on game day, Jason?

"Yeah," he said. "It usually is."

ckamrani@sltrib.com

Twitter: @chriskamrani