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Waiting game Kreis trying to prove his worth to Arena
Posted: Sunday March 12, 2000 11:39 PM
By Jeff Green, CNNSI.com BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Forward Jason Kreis had the chance to quiet his doubters on Sunday, chief among them U.S. national team coach Bruce Arena. No such luck, however, in the United States' 1-1 draw against Tunisia, in front of what Arena said might have been the team's first home crowd in 18 months. In the 53rd minute Sunday, Kreis, 27, had the kind of chance that forwards dream of, courtesy of Tunisian goalkeeper and captain Chorki El Quaer. Like almost all of the Tunisian team Sunday, El Quaer was a member of Tunisia's fourth-place team at the recent African Nations Cup. "Brian [McBride] did an excellent job," Kreis said of his fellow frontrunner. "The ball went from one of their marking backs to the goalkeeper, and [McBride] really just chased him down. The goalkeeper thought he did a little cheeky move on Brian and then Brian pressured it again. "The goalkeeper ended up flubbing one right to me," said Kreis, who found himself about 23 yards out with an open net. "The first thing that went through my mind as it was rolling to me was how far out he was. He was 18 yards out. All I really had to do was put it over him and it was an easy goal. So that's what I went for on my first touch, but I didn't quite get all of it like I wanted to." Instead, the ball went straight into the hand of the out-of-position goalkeeper.
Kreis was the most dangerous striker in Major League Soccer last year, but he has yet to prove he belongs at the national team in the only way that counts for a forward -- producing goals. With the Dallas Burn last season, Kreis scored 18 goals and tallied 15 assists to lead MLS in scoring and take home the league's MVP award. That has not proven enough, however, to clear the murky outlook for the United States at the forward position as World Cup qualifying approaches later this year. "Jason Kreis had a couple of good chances in the game," Arena said after the game. "It was good to see Kreis as a forward for us. "There's some good things he did," the U.S. coach said. "What he didn't do well, and what he's noted for, is finishing." Arena pointed to Kreis' one-on-one chance with the Tunisian goalkeeper. "If Jason had a little more composure, he could have just dribbled the ball around the keeper," Arena said. "But you know, that's why it's important to play these games and give a player like that an opportunity to show us what he can do. Kreis was ambivalent about his performance, overall. "As a soccer player I had a lot of fun out there today and I thought I did well," Kreis said. "As a forward, I can't be happy with that. I had two open chances to score and I didn't take advantage of them." Every chance Kreis gets is important as Arena begins to narrow his player pool. "I'm getting close to knowing the 30 players that are going to be in our pool as we prepare ourselves for World Cup qualification," he said. What will Kreis' role be? "I haven't defined his role at this point," Arena said. Will he see any more chances? "Yeah," Arena said. "I think so." Kreis has appeared in a national team jersey just 10 times, scoring his lone goal against in a 2-2 draw against Jamaica last September under Arena. "To be honest, I can't really count the first seven chances I had because they were under a different coach and a different system," Kreis said. "In the last three chances now I've had with Bruce, I've felt pretty positive about what I've done. "It's really sort of a waiting game for me," he said. "There obviously are some more experienced forward than me involved with the national team, that have scored a lot of important goals for the national team, so it creates a little bit of a different situation." In Kreis' mind, his national team career really began last September, the first time Arena called him up. "The first 7 games I played wing midfield, which, I mean to be fair to myself, is not my position. Never was, never will be," he said. "It was also under coach [Steve] Sampson and a different team. Now I think the national team is on a much more positive note and going in a much more positive direction." Kreis said that he did not specifically discuss his national team role with Arena this week, but that he has in the past. "He's an incredibly open and communicating guy who I think shows a great deal of respect for all of his players," he said. "I think the players completely respect him back for it. Kreis said he believed his key to staying in the national team picture rests in MLS. "I think it's obvious. I'm going to have to continue to perform with my club team and remember that that's where all my efforts are going to have to come from," he said. "And I think Bruce is going to be watching -- I hope Bruce is going to be watching." The postgame discussion likely would have taken a different tone had Kreis put away his other clear chance in the 25th minute. "I checked to a ball, saw Brian on the inside, knocked him a little sort of flicking ball. He saw John O'Brien, and John O'Brien played an excellent ball through the middle of the box for me," he said. "I just tried to side foot one, got it over the goalie and he somehow made a miraculous save with his fingertips. It really shocked me. I thought it was in."
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