Capable of playing as a midfielder or a forward, Damir Kreilach joined Whitecaps FC in December 2023 as a free agent after spending seven seasons with fellow Western Conference side Real Salt Lake.
The experienced Croatian agreed to a contract through 2025.
WHITECAPS FC
'24: The veteran Croatian striker made eight starts and 25 appearances across all competitions in his first season in Vancouver, tallying three goals and one assist. Kreilach marked his ‘Caps debut with a goal, as he opened the scoring with a crafty finish against Tigres UANL on February 7 in the first leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup first round. Kreilach’s second goal of the season would come against his former side Real Salt Lake on March 23, respectfully opting not to celebrate as the BC Place crowd swept to its feet. Kreilach then scored the match-winner against Colorado Rapids on June 1 as the ‘Caps claimed a crucial 2-1 victory.
REAL SALT LAKE
'23: In his final season with the Claret and Cobalt, Kreilach started 19 of his 33 appearances across all competitions after recovering from a successful lower back surgery, scoring eight goals and adding an assist.
'22: Kreilach made five MLS appearances (three starts) before getting sidelined with the injury, scoring one goal in 298 minutes. In June, the Croatian underwent a successful surgical procedure on his lower back, ruling him out for the rest of the season.
'21: 2021 marked a banner year for Kreilach where he led the team in goals scored with 16 - one goal away from Alavro Saborio’s single-season record for the club - while adding 9 assists to his name. In 2,875 minutes played during the regular season, Kreilach was voted the RSL Team MVP for the second consecutive year and was voted the MLS Player of the Week on two occasions (Weeks 12 and 35). He was one of eight players to receive the honor on multiple occasions during the 2021 season. Kreilach finished third in combined goals and assists (25) behind NYCFC’s Valentín Castellanos (27) and Nashville SC’s Hany Mukhtar (28). Kreilach’s 16th and final goal of the regular season against Sporting Kansas City in the 95th minute on November 7 sent RSL through to the playoffs on Decision Day. Additionally, Kreilach also set a new club-record by scoring in five consecutive matches, a feat reached between September 18 to October 16.
'20: Kreilach was the club’s leading goalscorer with eight goals in 21 appearances, including one assist. Kreilach played 1,770 minutes and captained Real Salt Lake in five matches throughout the season.
'19: Kreilach started all 34 of his appearances in his second season with RSL, including two playoff games. In total, Kreilach scored seven goals and recorded five assists in 2,819 minutes.
'18: In his first season with RSL, Kreilach led the team in goals with 15 (12 regular season, 3 post season) to win the club's 2018 Golden Boot. Kreilach featured in 33 matches for the club with 31 starts and provided 9 assists across 2,784 minutes played.
FC UNION BERLIN
'13-'18: Prior to moving to RSL, Kreilach played five seasons at German club Union Berlin. In that time, he scored 33 goals in 147 matches in the German second division, highlighted by a 12-goal season in 2015-16. In his debut match for the club, Kreilach scored a goal on July 21 in a 2-1 loss to VfL Bochum. He started all 32 of his appearances in his first season.
HNK RIJEKA
'07-'13: Kreilach came through Croatian first division club HNK Rijeka in his youth, making his professional debut at 18 years old in the 2007-08 season. He would go on to play 128 matches in six seasons while scoring 19 goals. He was the club’s top goal scorer in the 2011-12 season with nine goals.
INTERNATIONAL
'10: Named to the U-21 Croatian National Team for the UEFA U-21 Championship Qualifiers. Came on as a substitute in four matches and scored his debut goal in a 4-1 victory over Norway in the group stage on August 11.
'08: Named to the U-19 Croatian National Team. Came on as a substitute in three international friendlies.
