Life’s got a strange way of wending and winding you to its chosen destination. Jason Kreis — more than most MLS managers — is familiar with the trials of building an expansion team into a contender. Which explains why New York City FC made him their first manager.
What he didn’t reckon with was that he’d be using his expertise with Orlando City. Fired after one tempestuous season in Gotham, Kreis stepped in to replace Orlando’s first manager, Adrian Heath. So far, it looks to be a better fit for him — he managed to steady a flailing Lions team; this season, the Lions combine a ferociously stingy defense with a quietly efficient offense, led by Canadian striker Cyle Larin.