Jason Kreis Named First-Ever President of Soccer Operations Over Real Salt Lake and Utah Royals FC
SANDY, UT (Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025) — The Miller family and Miller Sports + Entertainment (MSE) announced today a new leadership structure for its Real Salt Lake and Utah Royals FC sporting operations, confirming the family’s commitment to and investment in the Club comprised of its Major League Soccer and National Women’s Soccer League teams, as well as Real Monarchs (MLS Next Pro) and the RSL Academy.
Twenty-two months after returning to Utah, Real Salt Lake’s first-ever player and its MLS Cup 2009-winning head coach, Jason Kreis, has been named the Club’s President of Soccer Operations. In this capacity, Jason will support and oversee both teams’ sporting structures and will report directly to Steve Starks, CEO of the Larry H. Miller Company, and ownership. While both teams will continue to be operated independently, this new sporting structure will enable greater development, collaboration, innovation and commitment to building championship cultures.
“Jason’s leadership, clarity of vision, and track record of elevating people and programs will align every part of Real Salt Lake and Utah Royals FC,” said Steve Miller, Chairman and Governor for Real Salt Lake and Utah Royals FC. “Jason knows this community, and I’m confident he will raise our standards and take the entire organization to new heights.”
“We are excited to formalize this new sporting structure for Real Salt Lake and Utah Royals FC,” said Starks. “Jason is an incredible leader who has a championship legacy and a commitment to building an elite culture. With the support of our ownership group, Jason will bring passion and experience to this new role and leverage synergies across both teams while creating a championship culture.”
Kreis returned to Utah in December 2023, as the Club’s Director of Club Operations & Special Projects. In that role, Kreis integrated and streamlined numerous business and community initiatives, while utilizing his nearly 30 years of expertise as a Major League Soccer player and coach.
“My family and I were elated to return to Utah and come back to the Club nearly two years ago,” said Kreis, whose youngest son recently graduated from the University of Utah. “With the Miller family and David Blitzer serving as the community stewards for our beloved Club, the opportunities here are boundless, as is my excitement to continue building and accelerating our development on and off the field.”
In October 2004, Kreis moved from FC Dallas to Real Salt Lake, becoming Utah’s MLS expansion team’s first-ever player. Kreis served as the Club’s Captain, earning the distinction as Major League Soccer’s first-ever 100-goal scorer while donning the Claret-and-Cobalt colors. In May 2007, Kreis traded in the armband to become RSL’s second-ever head coach, a seven-year run that saw him guide RSL to four various Cup finals, and the MLS Cup 2009 title, registering an overall record of 111-87-68 (W-L-T) across all competitions from 2007-13.
In 2014/15, Kreis established New York City FC as an expansion team playing at Yankee Stadium. In 2016, Kreis assumed the reins at Orlando City FC for a two-year run, with the combined NYCFC/Orlando stints seeing Kreis amass a 32W-47L-21T mark. Kreis then spent three seasons at Inter Miami FC, where he was instrumental in the creation of the Academy, served as the second team head coach for one year, and then finished as the first team assistant coach. Simultaneously, Kreis was tabbed by U.S. Soccer to serve as the federation’s U-23 coach from 2019 to 2021 for Olympic qualifying.
“Seeing what we now have at the Zions Bank Training Center, participating in the Utah Royals rebirth, and the support of Miller Sports + Entertainment and David Blitzer and Bolt Ventures, I’m excited to help our leaders all around the Club relentlessly pursue championships. I am committed to maintaining the highest levels of performance we have achieved at this Club throughout history and leading us to new heights and success going forward. We will be elite.”
Long-time RSL executive John Kimball will continue overseeing all business operations of Real Salt Lake and the Utah Royals FC.
About Real Salt Lake Club:
The Miller family and Miller Sports + Entertainment acquired RSL Football Holdings from David Blitzer in April 2025, with Blitzer remaining the second-largest owner.
Real Salt Lake completed its 21st Major League Soccer season last week, its fifth full season under Head Coach Pablo Mastroeni, who assumed the RSL reins on an interim basis for the final 100 days of 2021. RSL is the lone Western Conference team to have advanced to the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs in each of the last five campaigns, amassing 15 postseason appearances in the last 18 years, notably in seven of the last eight seasons (2020).
RSL’s MLS Cup 2009 victory marked the state of Utah’s only major professional championship in nearly 40 years, the title preceding a historic run to the 2010/11 CONCACAF Champions League Final. Buoyed by a passionate fan base, boasting several thousand season ticket holders and the “RioT” Supporters Group, RSL opened its permanent home in Sandy just over 17 years ago. Since October 2008, RSL has recorded a 179-72-90 (W-L-T) mark at America First Field, achieving a 1.84 points per game average and a 0.657 win pct—truly amazing value propositions in the North American sporting landscape today.
Beginning with the 2024 season, Real Salt Lake ownership brought the National Women’s Soccer League back to Utah, returning the Utah Royals FC to the state. Led by Sporting Director Kelly Cousins and Head Coach Jimmy Coenraets, Utah Royals FC aims to seize upon the astounding success of the NWSL and tremendous strength of women’s soccer in Utah.
In 2015, the Club expanded its development pyramid with the addition of the Real Monarchs. Since the 2022 season, the Real Monarchs have competed in the “MLS NEXT Pro”, which connects youth academies in MLS NEXT to first teams in MLS. There are currently over 60 student athletes representing the RSL Academy’s U-16 and U-18 teams in MLS NEXT.
All teams call the expansive Zions Bank Training Center in Herriman, Utah their daily training home. The 42-acre campus includes five world-class grass fields, two indoor turf fields, a residential dormitory, and the 5,000-seat Zions Bank Stadium. Nearly 18 months ago, the Utah Royals FC opened an 11,000+ square-foot expansion to the training site to give the Utah Royals FC their own exclusive world-class facility resources.
About Miller Sports + Entertainment:
Miller Sports + Entertainment (MSE) manages Real Salt Lake and the Utah Royals FC, Megaplex, the Salt Lake Bees, The Ballpark at America First Square, and Big League Utah and its quest to bring a Major League Baseball team to Salt Lake City. Learn more at millerse.com.
