With all of the news coming down recently about the expansion of Major League Soccer to 24 teams by the end of the decade, it is easy to forget that the latest expansion team, New York City FC, is just 18 months away from their first game.

As the 2015 milestone approaches for the club that will be owned by a partnership formed by the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball and Manchester City of English Premier League fame, the search for a man to lead them into their inaugural season is apparently up.

According to a report by Sports Illustrated's Brian Straus, current Real Salt Lake head coach Jason Kreis is the leading candidate for the job. 

Kreis has rocketed to managerial stardom since he took control of the reins at Real Salt Lake at the spry age of 34 in 2007. 

After being an integral part of the club's first two seasons as a player, Kreis was handed the managerial position and he has worked wonders with a club in one of the smaller markets in the league. 

Since Kreis began as manager of the Claret and Cobalt, he has turned them into one of the perennial favorites to contend for both the Supporters' Shield and MLS Cup titles. 

While he is still in search of his first Supporters' Shield, a competition in which RSL led until last week's loss to Seattle, Kreis has led the club to the ultimate goal in MLS, winning MLS Cup.

Back in 2009, Kreis was at the helm when RSL defeated the Los Angeles Galaxy in a memorable penalty shootout at the then-named in Seattle to MLS Cup in what was just the franchise's fifth season. 

Most of the core of that 2009 roster has moved on to greener pastures including defender Jamison Olave and forward Fabian Espindola, who both departed for the New York Red Bulls during the last MLS offseason. 

Those departures have forced Kreis to rebuild his squad, and instead of suffering a rough season during the rebuilding process, Kreis has delivered RSL to the MLS Cup playoffs in every year since lifting the trophy.

Real Salt Lake are on track once again this season to qualify for the playoffs as they currently sit in second place in Western Conference standings. 

Despite all of his continued success, Kreis' contract is up at the end of the season, and it could be time for him to move on to a more intriguing project with New York City FC. 

Unlike RSL, NYCFC will most likely fill all three allotted designated player positions by the time the 2015 season rolls around. 

It is also fair to assume that Kreis will be handed a bigger budget to work with in acquiring players to make sure that the 20th MLS franchise is a contender right away. 

With his experience in building and re-building Real Salt Lake while remaining a competitive side, it makes perfect sense for Kreis to join forces with NYCFC and begin to build a new MLS dynasty that will challenge for trophies in the years to come. 

Is Jason Kreis the right man to lead NYCFC into their first season?

Comment below or leave me a comment on Twitter, @JTansey90, 

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