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Orlando City hires ex-NYCFC boss Jason Kreis as new coach

Orlando City has hired former New York City FC coach Jason Kreis as its new head coach.

Kreis, 43, led Real Salt Lake to the MLS Cup in 2009, but he was fired by NYCFC after last season when the club failed to make the MLS playoffs in its first season.

At Orlando, Kreis replaces Adrian Heath, who was fired earlier this month as the coach of the second year-club.

"We are very excited that we have got our man," Orlando City president Phil Rawlins said in a statement. "Jason is a progressive thinking and highly ambitious coach, who is very familiar with success in MLS.

"Jason's playing philosophy is the same attack-minded, possession-oriented style of soccer that we have built our Club around. He is a winner who checks all the boxes for us."

Kreis played in MLS for 12 seasons for the Dallas Burn and Real Salt Lake, and his 108 goals make him the league's sixth all-time leading scorer.

The new boss will bring his longtime assistants Miles Joseph and CJ Brown with him to Orlando.

The club's interim head coaches, Bobby Murphy and Anthony Pulis, will again lead Orlando against Columbus on Saturday and then remain in their former roles as assistants.