This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2007, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Jason Kreis' sudden retirement filled one hole - he announced he was done playing and was named Real Salt Lake's head coach at the same time - but left another: a hole in RSL's offense, one which Kreis will have to fill with another player.
Even with Kreis aging and suffering from knee injuries, the team will miss a key piece of its lineup. Kreis retires as Major League Soccer's all-time leading scorer.
"He's been our No. 10, which is the soccer equivalent to a quarterback," said team owner Dave Checketts.
Neither Kreis nor Checketts considered the forward continuing to play, so the team must find a new No. 10.
"Jason's so humble, almost to a fault, that he doesn't think it will be a big deal," said midfielder Chris Klein, who will be relied on to replace at least part of Kreis' leadership on the field.
The new coach named defender Eddie Pope the team's captain, but was mum on just who would fill his spot in the attacking midfield.
"If you take me out of the roster, you need someone to replace me in the roster, so that will be a focus of mine for sure," Kreis said. "Past that, I'm not exactly sure."
There could be a change from the 5-4-1 formation preferred by Ellinger to a 4-4-2 formation, judging by the way the team practiced Thursday morning under Kreis.
Struggling to capitalize on scoring opportunities has been a significant challenge for RSL, which is winless through four games.
"It's going to take an effort from the remaining guys and whoever replaces him to make up, I mean we aren't talking about the guy on the end of the bench," Klein said.