New York City FC head coach Jason Kreis is hopeful that the club will begin building its roster as early as this summer, but there’s no timetable on when the team will actually put pen to paper on the franchise’s first player.
Kreis made the comments during an interview with the official website for parent club Manchester City posted this week (above), complete with clips of the former Real Salt Lake boss scouting Manchester City practices with NYCFC technical director Claudio Reyna.
“I wouldn’t want to put an expectation on it, but in our eyes, the ideal situation would be to maybe make or one or two signings during the summer transfer window,” Kreis said. “But if it’s not the right player and not the right situation, we don’t have a rush. We don’t need to have a team available or together until mid-January of 2015, so we certainly aren’t going to rush into anything.”
Kreis’ comments are featured in an extended version of an interview posted earlier this week that included the news that NYCFC will be allowed to take up to four Manchester City players on loan during their expansion season next year.
Kreis relocated to England earlier this year after he was officially introduced as NYCFC’s first head coach in January. He’s expected to spend six months there, shadowing the Manchester City coaching staff and observing the club's approach across the board.
“I never would have dreamt that I would have this opportunity,” he said. “I’m really trying to do my best to keep my feet on the ground and soak it up day by day, and really enjoy the experience, and learn as much as I can.”
NYCFC will join Orlando as the league’s newest franchises next year, and Kreis said in the interview this week that he hopes his club’s arrival will “fill a niche that hasn’t been filled before” in the five boroughs.
“We believe that we can be a club that represents the city itself,” he said. “Up until now, [the New York Red Bulls] have always played in New Jersey. We want to be a team that can represent the city itself, and play in the city.”
Orlando City have signed three players ahead of their 2015 expansion season, most recently inking El Salvador national team captain Darwin Cerén.
