Real's Kreis returns to Dallas

The emotions will definitely be mixed when Jason Kreis marches onto the Cotton Bowl field Saturday.

You see, for nine years, the Dallas Burn striker was one the most lethal scoring machines in Major League Soccer. Not only was he the Burn's poster boy for nearly a decade, but in the process he became the all-time leading scorer in league history with 92 goals.

With the 100-goal plateau on the horizon for Kreis, Dallas' silver anniversary season had the makings of something special.

Instead, the franchise made some drastic measures after missing the playoffs for the third straight season. Not only did it change its name to FC Dallas (Futbol Club Dallas), but it also traded its most successful player to Real Salt Lake.

As a result, when RSL (1-1-1) visits Dallas (2-0-1) in a Western Conference clash in Texas Saturday, Kreis will be making the eerie march out of the visitors' locker room.

"There's some emotions about leaving a place I'd been so long," said Kreis. "In the end, I hope it's only going to motivate me."

Realistically, it's not as if Kreis, 32, needs any extra motivation playing against a franchise that thought his age made him expendable.

There's no question Dallas had reason to part with Kreis. In the past 12 months, Eddie Johnson has emerged as one of the best young talents in the country, scoring goals with the U.S. National Team at a greater frequency than anyone in history.

"The gifts he possess physically are second to none," said Kreis about his former teammate. "He's so strong, he's so fast and you add onto that he has a pretty decent touch on the ball as well."

Kreis, however, believed he still had plenty to offer as well.

The consummate professional he is, Kreis doesn't hold a grudge against Dallas' management. He's just looking forward to playing in the Cotton Bowl one last time. Salt Lake's only other visit to Dallas this season is in September, and by then FCD will have moved into it's nearly completed soccer specific stadium in Frisco, Texas.

"I have a lot of dear friends on that team, so to compete against them in a real atmosphere other than training, that should be fun," said Kreis, who's had requests for over 20 tickets from friends in Dallas.

Already this year, Kreis has inched one goal closer to the magical century mark, and he wouldn't mind tacking on a few more against his ex-club — a real possibility given his tremendous fitness level.