It was June 30, 2017, and Orlando had beaten RSL 1-0, leaving Petke’s team with a 5-12-2 record and sitting 10th in the Western Conference.
“I’ve been through many a game like that myself in the past several years,” Kreis recounted to The Tribune.
Kreis, standing in the stadium that displays his name and retired number, told Petke it would take a while for the new coach to make the team his own.
Petke echoed Kreis’ words in his postgame news conference, and RSL beat the L.A. Galaxy 6-2 in the next game to kickstart a closing stretch that saw it nearly grab a playoff spot.