SANDY, Utah (Wednesday, February 7, 2018) – Real Salt Lake General Manager Craig Waibel announced on Wednesday that the club has signed MF Damir Kreilach using Targeted Allocation Money (TAM) ahead of the 2018 season. He will occupy an international roster slot and will join the club in preseason, pending receipt of his ITC and visa.
“We’re really excited about bringing Damir in. He’s got a ton of experience and challenges our depth immediately,” Waibel said. “He brings talent. He brings leadership – he was the co-captain at Union Berlin. He’s a good person. He’s going to be a good fit in our locker room.”
Kreilach, 28, made his final appearance for Union Berlin on Monday night, logging 71 minutes in a 1-1 draw against Arminia Bielefeld. He played the last five seasons for Union Berlin in the German second division, scoring 33 goals in 147 matches, highlighted by a 12-goal season in 32 matches in 2015-16. He has two goals in 16 matches this season. Prior to his move to Germany, he played for Rijeka in the Croatian first division, making his debut at 18 years old in the 2007-08 season, playing 128 matches in six seasons while scoring 19 goals. He was the club’s top goalscorer in the 2011-12 season with nine goals.
Internationally, he appeared for the Croatian U-19 and U-21 National Teams in 2008 and 2010, respectively.
Transaction: Real Salt Lake Signs MF Damir Kreilach Using TAM.
Name: Damir Kreilach
Place of Birth: Vukovar, Croatia
Hometown: Vukovar, Croatia
Last Club: Union Berlin
Birthdate: April 16, 1989 (28)
Pronunciation: DAMM-i-ear CRY-letch
Real Salt Lake Roster (as of 2/7/18)
GK: Nick Rimando, Connor Sparrow
DF: Danilo Acosta, Shawn Barry, Tony Beltran, Justen Glad, Adam Henley, Aaron Herrera, David Horst, Taylor Peay, Demar Phillips, Marcelo Silva
MF: Kyle Beckerman, Nick Besler, Jose Hernandez, Damir Kreilach, Luke Mulholland, Pablo Ruiz, Albert Rusnák, Sebastian Saucedo, Sunday Stephen
FW: Jordan Allen, Corey Baird, Brooks Lennon, Ricky Lopez-Espin, Yura Movsisyan, Alfredo Ortuno, Joao Plata, Jefferson Savarino, Luis Silva
